Google Increases Priority for Secure Websites Through HTTPS
In a recent update, the search engine giant Google shifted its algorithm to give more weight to secure websites. Although currently, it only influences less than 1% of worldwide queries, website owners should not underestimate this development. Google's announcement indicates this security signal will likely gain more importance. Traditionally, high-quality content held more value, but Google is trying to ensure the web is safer for everyone.
Bolstering Website Security with SSL Certificates and HTTPS
As part of this move, I acquired an SSL certificate for my website and transitioned from HTTP to HTTPS-led environment. SSL certificates authenticate the identity of your website and encrypt transmitted data, enhancing the security. When installed, your site can be accessed over HTTPS, highlighting secure credentials to visitors. Though I met some Google index-related complications when implementing HTTPS, every challenge presents an opportunity to learn more about making my website better.
Transitioning from HTTP to HTTPS: Overcoming the Challenges
The primary issue I encountered during implementation was that Google's index had all my web pages listed under HTTP, as that was the way they were initially set up. This meant I needed to redirect all my HTTP pages permanently to HTTPS. Achieving this would ensure that Google, various other search engines, plus my site visitors would be redirected to the HTTPS version of the site.
To get this redirection in place, I made a simple addition to my .htaccess file:
RewriteEngine OnRewriteCond %{SERVER_PORT} !^443$RewriteRule (.*) https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [R=301,L]
Even if you are starting fresh with a new site, it would be advisable to adopt this HTTPS transition to avoid any potential duplication issues. This is because, while Google and other search engines may index your site as HTTPS, some users may unknowingly bookmark or link to the HTTP version. Therefore, as outlined above, a redirect strategy can be insurance against unforeseen confusion or discrepancy.
Maintaining Consistent HTTPS-based Content
Remember that for a seamless user experience, all your content, including images and other media files, must be served over HTTPS. Otherwise, visitors may spot warnings that certain elements are not secure, which might erode their trust in your site.
You may need to update all your URLs manually to maintain consistency. Thankfully, specific platforms, such as WordPress, offer plugins that can automate this process for you, sparing you the manual grunt work.
Conclusion
Making the move toward keeping everyone safer on the internet is a move we should all get behind. Implementing HTTPS may seem daunting, but the benefits it bringsfrom a SEO perspective and the added trust factor for your visitorsare totally worth it.
