HTTPS and Site Security: Why SSL Is a Google Ranking Factor

In 2014, Google announced that HTTPS (Secure Sockets Layer, now called TLS) would become a ranking signal. Today, 97% of the top 1 million websites use HTTPS. If you’re still on HTTP, you’re not just missing a ranking boost—you’re actively being penalised.

This guide explains HTTPS, why it matters for SEO and user trust, and how to migrate without losing rankings.

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What Is HTTPS vs. HTTP?

HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol) is unencrypted. Data travels between your browser and a website in plain text. Anyone on the network can intercept and read it.

HTTPS (HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure) encrypts data. A browser connection to an HTTPS website is encrypted, so even if someone intercepts the data, they can’t read it.

Visual Difference

When you visit a website:

• HTTP: No lock icon in address bar, or a red warning (browser shows “Not secure”)
• HTTPS: Green lock icon in address bar, or a small padlock

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Why HTTPS Matters (Beyond SEO)

For Users: Trust and Security

Users see the lock icon and know the connection is secure. Without it, Chrome and Firefox show warnings:

> This site is not secure > > Your connection to this website is not encrypted.

This drives away users. Studies show:

• 71% of users worry about online privacy
• 60% of users avoid websites without HTTPS
• Sites with HTTPS have lower bounce rates and higher conversion rates

For Your Business: Data Protection

If you collect any data (emails, contact forms, credit cards, passwords), HTTPS is legally required:

• PCI DSS (if you process payments) requires HTTPS
• GDPR (if you have EU users) requires encrypted data transmission
• Australian Privacy Act encourages HTTPS as a security safeguard

For SEO: Ranking Factor

Google has stated HTTPS is a ranking factor. While it’s not as important as content or links, it’s a measurable signal. An HTTPS site will outrank an HTTP site with identical content and authority.

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The Cost of HTTPS in 2026

Good news: HTTPS is free for most websites.

In 2016, Let’s Encrypt launched and made free SSL certificates available. Today:

• Shared hosting providers include free Let’s Encrypt SSL with every hosting package
• WordPress hosts (Kinsta, WP Engine) auto-enable HTTPS
• Static site hosts (Netlify, Vercel, GitHub Pages) provide free HTTPS

When you pay for SSL:

• Premium certificates ($50–$200/year) offer additional features like warranty or EV (Extended Validation)
• Wildcard certificates ($75–$300/year) cover all subdomains
• Dedicated IP address (if needed) costs $2–$5/month

For most Australian small businesses, your hosting provider covers HTTPS at no cost. If you see an invoice for an “SSL certificate,” it’s likely a upsell—you already have it included.

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How HTTPS Works (The Basics)

When you visit an HTTPS site:

1. Your browser requests a secure connection
2. The server sends its SSL certificate (proving it’s legitimate)
3. Your browser verifies the certificate is valid and trusted
4. An encrypted connection is established
5. All data is encrypted before transmission

This happens in milliseconds. You don’t notice it.

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HTTP to HTTPS Migration: Step by Step

If you’re still on HTTP, migrating is straightforward but requires care. Do it wrong, and you’ll lose rankings.

Step 1: Get an SSL Certificate

If hosting with a major provider (GoDaddy, Bluehost, Kinsta, WP Engine):

1. Log in to your hosting control panel
2. Look for “SSL,” “TLS,” or “Security”
3. Enable “Free SSL Certificate” or “Let’s Encrypt”
4. Wait 10 minutes for it to activate
5. Done.

If self-hosting:

1. Contact your server provider or use a service like Let’s Encrypt
2. Install the certificate on your server
3. If you use cPanel or Plesk (control panels), there’s usually a button to auto-install Let’s Encrypt

Step 2: Redirect HTTP to HTTPS

Ensure all HTTP traffic redirects to HTTPS. This is typically automatic, but verify it’s enabled.

For Apache (most shared hosting):

Add to your .htaccess file (in your site root):

“apache RewriteEngine On RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301] “

For Nginx:

Add to your server block:

“nginx if ($scheme != "https") { return 301 https://$server_name$request_uri; } “

For WordPress:

1. Go to Settings > General
2. Change:

• WordPress Address (URL): https://yoursite.com
• Site Address (URL): https://yoursite.com

1. Save

Step 3: Update Internal Links

Ensure all internal links on your site point to HTTPS URLs:

• Links in your navigation
• Links in blog posts
• Links in footers

WordPress handles this automatically if you update the Settings > General URLs. For custom sites, do a find-and-replace (http://yoursite.com → https://yoursite.com).

Step 4: Fix Mixed Content

Mixed content occurs when an HTTPS page loads resources (images, scripts, stylesheets) via HTTP. This breaks the security.

1. Visit your homepage in a browser
2. Open DevTools (F12)
3. Go to Console tab
4. Look for messages like:

• “Mixed Content: The page was loaded over HTTPS, but requested an insecure resource…”
• These indicate images, scripts, or stylesheets loaded via HTTP

Fix:

Find the resource and change its URL from http:// to https://:

“`html

“`

For external resources you don’t control, use protocol-relative URLs:

“html “

The // tells the browser to use whatever protocol the page uses (HTTPS).

Step 5: Update Google Search Console

1. In Google Search Console, add your HTTPS version as a new property

• Your HTTP property and HTTPS property are separate in GSC

1. Submit your XML sitemap to the HTTPS property
2. (Optional) In Settings, change your “Preferred domain” from HTTP to HTTPS

Step 6: Update External Links and Backlinks

Ask any websites linking to you to update their links from http:// to https:// (though this isn’t critical—your 301 redirect will handle it).

Step 7: Monitor for Issues

Over the next 2 weeks:

1. Check GSC > Coverage for new errors
2. Check for 404 errors on HTTPS URLs
3. Verify Crawl Stats are normal
4. In PageSpeed Insights, test your new HTTPS URL
5. Run a site crawl with Screaming Frog to ensure no mixed content

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Common HTTPS Migration Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)

Mistake 1: Not Setting Up 301 Redirects Properly

If you don’t redirect HTTP to HTTPS, Google sees two versions of your site. This dilutes rankings.

Correct: Set up a permanent 301 redirect from HTTP to HTTPS.

“apache RewriteEngine On RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301] “

Mistake 2: Uploading a Self-Signed Certificate

A self-signed certificate is free but shows a browser warning. Users will see “This connection is not private” and distrust your site.

Correct: Use a CA-signed certificate (Let’s Encrypt is free and trusted).

Mistake 3: Using Mixed Content Without Fixing It

If your HTTPS pages load HTTP resources, the lock icon disappears and users see a warning.

Correct: Ensure all resources are HTTPS or protocol-relative.

Mistake 4: Forgetting to Update WordPress URLs

If you change the domain to HTTPS but don’t update Settings > General, WordPress will mix protocols internally.

Correct: Update both “WordPress Address (URL)” and “Site Address (URL)” to https://.

Mistake 5: Not Monitoring the Migration

After migrating, watch Google Search Console for new errors. A spike in 404 errors might indicate a problem.

Correct: Monitor GSC Coverage, Crawl Stats, and errors for 2–4 weeks post-migration.

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HTTPS and Rankings: What We Know

From Google’s own statements:

• HTTPS is a ranking factor (announced 2014)
• It’s a weak signal—content and links matter more
• It’s treated as a tiebreaker: two equal pages, HTTPS wins
• Mobile and desktop are both affected

Real-world impact: Switching from HTTP to HTTPS typically results in:

• 0–5% ranking boost immediately (varies by industry and competition)
• Longer-term boost from improved CTR (users trust HTTPS sites more)

It’s not a magic bullet, but it removes a penalty and builds user trust.

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Checking Your HTTPS Status

Visual Check

1. Visit your website
2. Look at the address bar
3. Do you see:

• Green lock icon? ✓ HTTPS is working
• “Not secure” warning? ✗ HTTPS is missing or misconfigured

Technical Check

Use SSL Labs:

1. Go to SSL Labs
2. Enter your domain
3. Click “Submit”
4. Wait for the test (30–60 seconds)
5. You’ll see a grade (A, B, C, etc.) and any issues

Expected result: Grade A or A+ (no warnings)

Check for Mixed Content

1. Visit your homepage on HTTPS
2. Open DevTools (F12)
3. Go to Console tab
4. Look for “Mixed Content” warnings

If none appear, you’re good. If you see warnings, find and fix the insecure resources.

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Certificate Renewal and Maintenance

Let’s Encrypt certificates expire every 90 days.

Good news: renewal is automatic. Your hosting provider or certificate issuer auto-renews before expiry. You don’t need to do anything.

If you manage renewal manually:

1. Set a calendar reminder for 30 days before expiry
2. Renew the certificate before it expires
3. Deploy the new certificate
4. Test with SSL Labs

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HTTPS for Australian Businesses

Australia doesn’t have unique HTTPS requirements, but consider:

• Local data residency: If you store Australian user data, some clients prefer HTTPS to Australian-hosted servers (reduces data transmission across borders)
• Domain trust: An .com.au domain with HTTPS signals legitimacy to Australian users
• Government contracts: If you supply to government agencies, HTTPS is mandatory

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Updating External Backlinks to HTTPS

If your site has backlinks pointing to http://yoursite.com, they’ll still work (your 301 redirect handles it). But ideally, update them to https://.

How to find backlinks to your HTTP site:

1. In Google Search Console (HTTP property), go to Links
2. Export the list of external links
3. Reach out to site owners and ask them to update links

This is nice-to-have, not essential. Your 301 redirect will preserve link equity.

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HTTPS and Performance

Does HTTPS slow down your site?

Historically, HTTPS had a small performance cost. Today (with TLS 1.3 and HTTP/2), the difference is negligible or even faster.

Tests show HTTPS sites often load slightly faster than HTTP sites because:

• Hosting providers prioritise HTTPS (faster CDNs)
• HTTP/2 (only available over HTTPS) is more efficient
• Modern browsers optimise HTTPS connections

Bottom line: HTTPS won’t slow you down.

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Mixed Content Deep Dive

Mixed content is common on migrated sites. Here’s how to debug it:

Type 1: Blockable Mixed Content

The browser blocks the resource. Common causes:

• External scripts loaded via HTTP
• Images from third-party CDNs on HTTP

Example: “html “

Fix: Change to HTTPS or use protocol-relative URL: “html “

Type 2: Mixed Content (Blockable By Default)

The browser warns but allows it (in modern browsers, this is becoming blockable).

• Embedded iframes from HTTP sources
• Video embeds from HTTP sources

Fix: Change the embed URL to HTTPS.

How to Find All Mixed Content

1. Open DevTools (F12)
2. Go to Security tab
3. Click “View certificate” or inspect the page
4. Go to Console tab and look for warnings
5. Each warning will show the insecure resource

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What Anitech Does

Anitech audits HTTPS and security as part of technical SEO. We:

1. Verify HTTPS is enabled site-wide
2. Check for mixed content
3. Verify SSL certificate validity
4. For sites migrating HTTP → HTTPS, we ensure:

• 301 redirects are set up
• Internal links are updated
• WordPress URLs are configured
• No mixed content issues exist
• Google Search Console is updated

If you’re migrating or need an HTTPS audit, we can help ensure it’s done right.

Get your site’s HTTPS reviewed

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Internal Links

• Technical SEO Audit: The Complete 2026 Checklist
• Advanced SEO Strategy 2026