HTTPS upgrade, a crucial factor for Google SEO ranking

The difference between https and http

HTTP, the full name of which is HyperText Transfer Protocol, is an application layer protocol used for distributed, collaborative, and hypermedia information systems. HTTP is the foundation of data communication on the World Wide Web.

HTTPS is just HTTP with the addition of an SSL 2048-bit key certificate. The purpose is to make the website more secure. If you want to enable HTTPS, the first thing to do is to install an SSL certificate on your website.

SSL certificate providers

Google recommends the use of 2048-bit or higher versions of SSL certificates. Common SSL certificate providers include Comodo, DigiCert, GeoTrust, Thawte, Rapidssl, Trustwave, GoGetssl, and Let’s Encrypt. Let’s Encrypt is free, while the others require a fee for purchase.

Typically, B2B enterprise-type websites can use the free Let’s Encrypt. For B2C websites, it is best to purchase a paid SSL certificate to prevent PCI credit card fraud and other security vulnerabilities.

The importance of HTTPS for SEO

Google has listed https as one of the SEO ranking factors. Although https is just a lightweight factor, it still has an impact on SEO ranking. Google has repeatedly emphasized the importance of https, and there is data supporting this statement.

Since Google required the use of https, many large companies have installed the small green lock. Therefore, upgrading to https is essential to achieve better ranking in Google search results.