Should you switch to https?

Google said it as many as three years ago, but the SEO world is abuzz once again with the topic. Is moving to https a necessity for a modern business website? If you’re looking to compete in the online marketplace, (and let’s face it: you’re going to have to compete) then every ranking signal Google accounts for is important. The answer to the https question is yes.

There’s an ongoing debate over how highly Google considers specific factors in its complicated ranking algorithms, but every little bit helps. After all, countless businesses just like yours are investing in SEO strategies and tactics to help them get those coveted page one spots. This is why you should make the switch to https for your website as soon as you can.

Https: What’s the big deal?

You don’t have to be too tech-savvy to grasp the significance of https for your site. HTTPS stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol over SSL, and at its most basic level, it makes your website more secure for your visitors. Https is often used interchangeably with the term SSL certificate, and having one for your website adds extra levels of trust including encryption, data integrity, and authentication.

Some websites might not technically *need* https as greatly as others. But if you’re a business whose site collects passwords or processes credit card information, making the switch is especially important. Users browsing via Chrome have begun to see these types of sites marked as “non-secure” when https is not used. This kind of “warning” could possibly turn away some of your potential customers. For those who do business online, it’s not worth the risk.

Potentially some serious SEO benefits

Of course, most online marketers are pushing the https change because of its ranking power. As noted above, SEO is already a competitive world, and if you are aiming for your business to capitalise on its web traffic, strong search engine optimisation is a must. If https is considered a factor in determining position in Google search, businesses need to sit up and pay attention.

Some sites who have already made the switch even report immediate upticks in their organic web traffic. Coincidental? Perhaps. But Google prioritises security, and obtaining the most secure site possible can only help you on the world’s most widely used search engine.

Everybody’s doing it: should you?

It seems every site is switching over to https in 2017. Should you? We say yes. Webics will be switching our SEO clients automatically over to https in the coming months, and we recommend others to do the same. Making the transition is not an overly complicated process. Your hosting provider can do it for you easily. But it’s wise to note that the switch is akin to transferring your entire web domain. This means that it’s a multi-step process and your site might experience a brief drop in ranking. These concerns should only be temporary, however, and in the long run, most experts agree https is the way to go for the future.

Further reading: How to Migrate from HTTP to HTTPS

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