Add HTTPS to Your Website to Help Search Rankings
In 2014, Google announced that HTTPS would be used as a factor in search rankings At first, webmasters saw little difference in search rankings and at that time only around 7% of page-one Google results used HTTPS. That figure has climbed dramatically in the intervening two years, and now around 30% of top-level Google websites are using HTTPS.
What is HTTPS?
HTTPS secures web traffic as it passes between the user and the web server. The traffic passes through an encryption process, meaning it is less easy to hack. This is particularly important when the user is sending confidential data such as name and address details or credit card data across the web.
How do I get HTTPS on my website?
To secure your website, you need to install an SSL certificate. This is a document that can be read by your web browser which is signed by an authoritative source, and giving a guarantee that the website belongs to who it claims to be, and ensure that traffic is encrypted as it passes through. You'll recognise the presence of an SSL certificate because:
- The URL of the webpage will begin with https:// rather than http://
- There will be a padlock icon near to the URL in your web browser
- In some cases the padlock icon will also display the registered owner of the website
Is there more than one type of SSL certificate?
Yes. There are at least three levels of SSL certificate, and they vary widely in price. Here's a handy reference guide:
| Extended Validation (EV) | Organisation Validation (OV) | Domain Validation (DV) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Encryption | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Level of validation | Thorough vetting of the organisation | Some vetting of the organisation | No company vetting |
| Right for | e-commerce sites Financial sites Gaming and betting sites Online banking | Membership sites Forums Social networks Sites which collect customer data via forms | Static informational sites which collect no data |
| Price | High | Medium | Low |
What else needs to be done apart from installing the certificate?
Whilst your main task is to purchase and install the certificate, you'll also need to do some housekeeping on your website to keep things working correctly and ensure you don't lose any search engine rankings.
Firstly you'll need to ensure that any requests on your site that come into the old http:// version of your site are correctly diverted to the new https:// version. How you do this will depend on the way your website is built. As all of your URLs will change, you need to ensure that the diversion is set up correctly otherwise you will lose search rankings. We can advise on how to do this.
Secondly you'll need to ensure that all images, fonts, videos and other page elements that are contained in your web pages are also served via https://. Otherwise the padlock icon will appear broken or greyed-out. Again, this is a web development task that we can help with.
How much do SSL certificates cost?
The price will vary according to the strength of the certification. For DV certificates, expect to pay between £40 to £50 per year for your certificate. For EV certificates, expect to pay £150 - £200 per year. Installation costs will be also be required. Why not contact us for a quotation on the cost of adding security to your site?