https and google rank
- Thread starter Scott Millar
- Start date
In a vacuum as a single change, I've not seen significant gains. But, improperly done, I've seen http to https migrations some others have attempted as having a negative result.
If you're only making this change, it currently has minimal upside and some negative risk.
However... When undertaking the http to https at the same time as updating internal 302's, changing internal links to point directly to other content instead of through a 301 redirect, spelling changes, etc, I've noticed more of a positive gain that would have been expected (if we hadn't done the http to https).
IMHO, the switcheroo to https needs to be planned and executed as a marketing activity and not a system admin function. The gain can be okay, but nothing to shout about.
If you're only making this change, it currently has minimal upside and some negative risk.
However... When undertaking the http to https at the same time as updating internal 302's, changing internal links to point directly to other content instead of through a 301 redirect, spelling changes, etc, I've noticed more of a positive gain that would have been expected (if we hadn't done the http to https).
IMHO, the switcheroo to https needs to be planned and executed as a marketing activity and not a system admin function. The gain can be okay, but nothing to shout about.
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We've done a few of these changeovers now to https and against what I thought would happen...yes, incredibly we have seen improvements in rankings for the majority of sites, far more than I was expecting.
As @webgeek says though, it's easy to screw it up but we have it quite controlled and it does seem to now have a positive impact on rankings. It didn't last year when we did it on some initial sites but the latest ones have all seemingly benefited from a change to https.
As @webgeek says though, it's easy to screw it up but we have it quite controlled and it does seem to now have a positive impact on rankings. It didn't last year when we did it on some initial sites but the latest ones have all seemingly benefited from a change to https.
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I can definitely vouch for using https. It makes a MASSIVE difference and it gives a rank boost (although very slight). Of course to rank really well all factors have to be in place.
When I changed over to https my ranks went haywire for about 7 days and then my rankings improved... To be honest I was slightly worried, but it all worked out just fine.
In my opinion https is the way to go!
When I changed over to https my ranks went haywire for about 7 days and then my rankings improved... To be honest I was slightly worried, but it all worked out just fine.
In my opinion https is the way to go!
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As a matter of course we now suggest e-commerce clients move to HTTPS. We also suggest it for a lot of non-ecommerce clients where sensitive data may be put into a contact form for example.
From a ranking perspective, and from experience, I believe the impact is minimal. It is just oen of thousands of metrics, and I don't believe Google considers an SSL more important than (for example) unique content and a responsive site.
That said.... an SSL, can help to improve conversion rates, it will improve your security, and it can improve user trust....and thus reduce bounce rate. All of which are going to help improve your bottom line.
For the cost involved an SSL is a no-brainer. Just make sure you have it installed correctly, and deal with your on site redirects.
From a ranking perspective, and from experience, I believe the impact is minimal. It is just oen of thousands of metrics, and I don't believe Google considers an SSL more important than (for example) unique content and a responsive site.
That said.... an SSL, can help to improve conversion rates, it will improve your security, and it can improve user trust....and thus reduce bounce rate. All of which are going to help improve your bottom line.
For the cost involved an SSL is a no-brainer. Just make sure you have it installed correctly, and deal with your on site redirects.
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Shifting to Https has nothing to do with Google rank and many of the site owners and webmasters are immediately implemented this due to rumors. However this SSL certificate are for websites that has confidential files and transactions in which most of the people doesn't know.
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Of course it will help your rank - google ACTUALLY confirmed it as a positive signal. (It may only count for a very small boost)
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SSL as a Ranking signal is not a rumour. It is confirmed by Google within their guidelines, and is a ranking signal. to quote Google from their Official Webmaster blog;
"We've seen positive results, so we're starting to use HTTPS as a ranking signal. "
The full post from Google can be found here.
For the cost involved, anyone serious about their website really should have an SSL installed.
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I agree. All my websites have SSL enabled. It is even more of a no brainier considering that SSL certificates are free through Let's Encrypt.
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That post was August 06, 2014 which is old and that time SSL was newly considered as a RANKING SIGNAL ONLY
December 2015 HTTPS becoming more relevant search ranking factor but still not included as one of the ranking metrics of Google.
Last two months of 2016 nothing heard of HTTPS as a ranking signal.
Because there are most important updates in Google in which really affects rankings. Do i really have to enumerate to you.
What?
if you are serious in your website then you must have an SSL installed? Is that all of your knowledge you can give us about SSL?
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SSL certificate will help at some percentage level to boost your website in google ranking. But yes it will definitely help your website in future to improve user/customer trust because as per google blog, at the beginning in January 2017 chrome browser will give warning for non http sites.
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Agreed; the SSL certificate improved my search placement. As mentioned above, it was not a lot; but, still noticeable.
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Now a day, most hosting comes with a free SSL certificate so many of my clients insisted to use that. I have migrated many websites, including 10+ pages to 1000+ pages and monitored traffic change. There is some advantage, not huge but tiniest. I disagree with those who are saying to not implement due to just fear of miss-handling, it is better for trust as well.
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- Original Poster
- #19
Hi Scott
I'd say if you're 20th without SSL, you might get 19th/18th with.
Hey Gordon hope all is well! I have now implemented SSL on my main site. I've noted a few spammy sites ranking high which are also implementing SSL so I am guessing it may have some effect. Anyway I will update once i've given it time.
You of course know better than me
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A
arnydnxluk
Aside from the nice SEO advantage, it's also important to ensure the integrity of your website, otherwise you can never be sure if another party is altering the content of your pages. Plus a lot of the fancy new web functionality such as the Web Push API (push notifications for the web - how awesome is that!) requires HTTPS. If you take advantage of HTTP/2 (again, requires HTTPS), you may see page speed improvements and therefore a further SEO bonus 
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We have found that yes you do get a small advantage in rank, however it is very very small, but what it does give is consumer confidence, and it is something you can use in your marketing
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Thank you, glad it's not just me.
I switched to HTTPS in September 2016 and within a week I had bombed from P1, pos 1 to Google page 2. Granted, I also swapped domain at the same time however I chose to reverse the HTTPS first before panicking and reverting back to my old domain.
Within 2 days my rankings started to recover and within 7-10 days all are back to P1, pos 1 again.
This was implemented with Cloudflare FYI.
Anyway, I may test again later this year and try HTTPS again, after all, a lot of my new clients are coming to me already with HTTPS and I feel a bit left out
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Thank you, glad it's not just me.
I switched to HTTPS in September 2016 and within a week I had bombed from P1, pos 1 to Google page 2. Granted, I also swapped domain at the same time however I chose to reverse the HTTPS first before panicking and reverting back to my old domain.
Within 2 days my rankings started to recover and within 7-10 days all are back to P1, pos 1 again.
This was implemented with Cloudflare FYI.
Anyway, I may test again later this year and try HTTPS again, after all, a lot of my new clients are coming to me already with HTTPS and I feel a bit left out
There are a number of issues that can effect a migration to HTTPS, you must ensure all your redirects are done correctly, and you can expect a short term drop in rank before recovery, 1 thing to note is that if you do this via Cloudflare then you are sharing your SSL cert with a number of other sites (they are not dedicated to you) and if one of those other sites has ranking issues then you could easily be lumped in with them (this has been documented, although it is rare).
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Hmm I'm on a dedicated Wordpress server with my Mum's artist website and my Dad's charity website, both small websites, I didn't know about the sharing a server issue with Cloudflare - thank you. Just the 3 of us.
Please can anyone post a link of a step by step guide to implementing SSL with Cloudflare or a different providor? Mine was carried out my a local host so I wasn't involved in the process and I wonder how easy it would be for me to learn?
Big thanks
Nina
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arnydnxluk
Are you already using CloudFlare? If so, you just need to enable SSL from the "******" section of your account area. To avoid the issue of sharing a certificate with third party domains, CloudFlare now offer dedicated SSL certificates for $5/month (previously you would have had to upgrade to the business plan).
If you're not using CloudFlare, just get in touch with your hosting provider - there's no need to use CloudFlare just to take advantage of HTTPS. It's normally straight forward to have HTTPS enabled on your domains. Certificates should no longer cost thanks to Let's Encrypt, although your provider may charge for the setup time if you don't have a fully managed service.
I've not seen any confirmation from Google (or other search engines) that the alternative names on an SSL certificate are ever considered. However there are so many other advantages that it's usually worth making the switch regardless (and I think as browser vendors continue to push HTTPS, everybody will eventually upgrade).
Edit: If you do want to use CloudFlare regardless then it's just a case of signing up, allowing CloudFlare to detect and copy your existing DNS entries, then reconfiguring the nameservers for your domain to those provided by CloudFlare. There is room for error here (e.g. if CloudFlare doesn't detect all of your DNS entries properly), so if you're not familiar with DNS I would consider asking your hosting provider to sort this out for you.
Last edited by a moderator:
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I for one have not seen any major traffic boost after switching over to https. As a matter of fact, most of the sites that I have come across do not even have an SSL certificate integrated. The thing is do not trust what Google says and keep on testing different angles on your site.
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Its not just about what google say, its also about peoples experience on your site, SSL gives a secure feeling to the user, which in turn makes it easier for them to purchase which at the end of the day is why most corporate / e-commerce sites exist, latest version of chrome is marking any site without SSL as insecure (what do you think that could do to sales?)
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And if you head over to the Interflora site you will discover most rose brought on Valentine's Day are red.
The reason most top ranking sites are HTTPS is because most sites are https.
I take anything moz says with a large pinch of salt, they have been wrong on a number of occasions.
The reason most top ranking sites are HTTPS is because most sites are https.
I take anything moz says with a large pinch of salt, they have been wrong on a number of occasions.
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Yes, it helps in increasing google search traffic if applied properly. Google confirms that it is a secure platform.
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