Extra security: http vs https

 2018-09-08

A year ago, Google officially announced that websites that have an additional layer of security by adopting the HTTPS protocol will get a minor boost in overall ranking. Therefore, they will perform better in searches as they will appear higher in the rankings. With the world understanding the importance of heightened security online, it makes sense that those websites which take security seriously and have fewer loopholes will be preferred over those which do not.

While you may be overwhelmed with the complexities of online security, this latest addition is very simple to understand. Basically, one has an additional layer of security. By visiting a site with HTTPS ensures communication between the user and website is encrypted and thus, cannot be read or spied on by any intruding force. Using a site simply secured with HTTP does not offer this security.

HTTPS allows websites to guarantee customer security, especially those which function as an ecommerce website and where online payments need to be made. HTTPS helps in securing the PCI Certification which is required for processing payments right then and there on the websites, without which it is not possible to do so according to law.

Encryption isn’t the only layer of protection which HTTPS adds. It also ensures that data integrity is maintained, and that data cannot be modified or corrupted during transfer. If there is a third-party trying to do so, it will be detected and can be avoided. Thirdly is authentication. This ensures that communication takes place with the intended website and not another one which may appear to be similar or posing as the same.

HTTPS security doesn’t add any extra weight to websites or slow them down. Businesses which do not add on HTTPS certification also risk one other thing - being shown as “Not Secure” on Google Chrome and other internet browsers which continue to crack down on websites which aren’t fully protected.

SEO is ever important for any website seeking to rank higher on search engines. In order to get the maximum benefit from moving from HTTP to HTTPS, Google recommends the following tips:

• Use 2048-bit key certificates
• Track HTTP to HTTPS migration in analytics software to ensure it happens successfully
• Avoid the use of no-index robots meta tag
• Allow indexing of pages by search engines when and where possible
• Decide which certificate is the best for the website: single, multi-domain or wildcard

HTTPS is also great for referrer data and overall SEO strategy implementation. It is an additional benefit without much hassle or cost. There isn’t anyone out there who would not recommend shifting over to HTTPS now, which is why businesses who already haven’t, should think about doing so sooner than later.