Although security is a big issue with Google, very few would have thought that the search engine’s engineers would actually reveal the action of switching to HTTPS as a future ranking boost for webmasters inclined to make the change.
While the technical and financial challenges of integrating the use of the HTTPS protocol on an existing HTTP site is not an easy feat, Google has promised significant long term ranking advantages and security support for those willing to make the necessary shift.
Improved Security for Your Website
One of the greatest assets of implementing HTTPS (also known as HTTP over TLS) is its secure, encrypted connections that are geared to make hacker attacks ineffective. As part of Google’s campaign to promote the use of the protocol for as many webmasters as possible, they have also began implementing ways to help site owners more easily integrate it into their websites.
HTTPS protocols use advanced, 2048-bit encryptions, and can be adapted to both single and multi-user domains. Additionally, it also supports protocol relative URLs and improved indexing.
Google is sparing no efforts to make webmasters’ efforts easier in the long run when it comes to the implementation of the protocol. Moreover, aside from the obvious security related benefits, you will find that HTTPS will also gain you a lot of favorable support from Google technicians who already have support specialists and centers dedicated to the task of helping out website owners interesting to adhering to the new standard.
Better Long Term Ranking Benefits
When it comes to both SEO and ranking, security already plays a major role. Secure websites are likely to get more high quality backlinks, and adding HTTPS to your site can only increase your popularity, traffic rate and even your thought leadership.
Google has bigger plans, however, and aside from all those advantages, they have also agreed to implement a new search engine algorithm that takes into account the use of HTTPS when determining a website’s rank in search engine results.
While it doesn’t carry as much weight as the number and quality of backlinks or the quality of the content present on your website, the presence of HTTPS can already influence your ranking by about 1%, and future modifications to the Google algorithms promise to increase that number to a considerable extent.
If you do plan on integrating the protocol with your sites or blogs, you can expect your ranking to climb steadily across the following months and years, reaching far better results while benefitting from increased online security and ensuring your visitors and clients that they can browse your site without concern.
Keep Up with Your Competitors
Recent polls already talk about more than 15% of all webmasters already being compliant with HTTPS standards and about 24% claiming they are seriously considering the change. As such, depending on your niche, the integration of the protocol can also provide you with some serious advantages over your competition.
While making money with internet marketing or increasing your returns through an online store or website is not always easy or cheap, you will find that the time and money invested into switching to HTTPS will be entirely worthwhile in the long run.