Google has been pushing for more secure websites across the internet for some time now, but now it’s been said that 34% of all the sites within Google Search Results are now HTTPS.
All the way back in 2014, Google adopted HTTPS as a ranking signal – meaning sites which adopt HTTPS will gain higher rankings in the search results.
Google began indexing HTTPS by default in December 2015. This meant that GoogleBot will choose to crawl HTTPS equivalents of HTTP pages, even when the HTTPS is not linked to from a page.
On top of this, early this year Google announced that the Chrome browser would flag any website that isn’t encrypted with HTTPS by displaying a red cross over a padlock in the URL bar.
At SMX Advanced, Gary Illyes from Google stated that 34% of Google Search results are HTTPS – which is big news for SEO.
HTTPS now makes up much of Google’s first page rankings, and as more of the Google indexed sites become HTTPS, Google will be likely to increase the ranking signal for HTTPS.
Why switch to HTTPS?
HTTPS helps protect the data of users visiting a website, but is also used to show that the user is on a legitimate website, instead of a version spun up by hackers.
This news is a good indicator that moving to HTTPS can have a benefit on your search rankings.
While moving to HTTPS can take time and money, it is best to make the change sooner rather than later, as you will need to do it at some point. And until then, your competitors could be gaining an advantage in the search results.
If you would like to talk to us about moving your site to HTTPS, get in touch today.
