Impact of SSL certificate on Google ranking

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The share of HTTPS sites in the top 10 on Google exceeded 70%.

While official sources have not made a statement, let's track when the number of HTTPS sites in the top 10 began to increase. Let's find out what caused such a rapid growth.

A bit of history

In August 2014, Google announced that sites with data transferred through the HTTPS protocol would receive a ranking bonus.

In 2014, the co-founder of Raven Tools, Jon Henshaw, a well-known person in the world of SEO, said that we should wait with the conversion of all sites to encrypted protocol.

In December 2015, Google started indexing the default HTTPS version of the page.

At that time, SEO experts told us that the sites they converted to https lost positions, TIC and Page Rang. In some cases the indicators leveled off after a month, began to grow in multiples after 2-3 months.

Google's official stance on HTTPS sites and real data

• The presence of HTTPS-protocol is taken into account as a full-fledged ranking factor.

• According to mozcast.com statistics as of 10/24/2017, the share of HTTPS sites in the top 10 was a record 69.5%

  In October 2017 alone, the growth was 7%.

• Google spokesman John Mueller said that it is very likely that the HTTP/2 protocol will speed up the site if it already has an SSL/TLS certificate.

  It's a well-known fact: Site load time is one of the most important factors in ranking for both search engines.

• Google Chrome browser started marking HTTP sites as unsafe.

  In this way Google takes care of its users. It warns them that it is not recommended to use this site, it can "steal" personal data, passwords, bank card data.

  At the moment the "Unprotected" marking is gray, but soon Google promises to make it more visible.

  Google Chrome is the most popular browser in Runet. Many users get scared of the red triangle and leave the page before it has time to load.

  Another famous browser, Fire Fox, supports Google when it comes to security. It marks HTTP sites with a crossed out lock.

Three more reasons to switch your site to HTPPS protocol

1. Using HTTPS makes the admin panel secure. No one will steal data while logging in to the site.

2. The site is protected against the embedding of extraneous programs and unwanted advertising. A year and a half ago, many people saw extraneous ads on commercial sites.

   This often happened when logging in from mobile devices connected to public Wi-Fi. For example, Uber ads on Apple.com's mobile site

   If the site will have an SSL certificate installed, you are unlikely to encounter this problem.

3. You can use a popular advertising technique, Service worker, to send Push notifications.

   This script is installed only on HTTPS sites.

It's time to switch to HTTPS

1. Despite the fact that all the signals say that HTTPS-protocol has become an important ranking factor, move the site immediately do not need, because it is a risk.

   It's best to wait until your niche is in "low season. Most businesses experience a dip in traffic in January and February.

2. The choice of certificate and its installation is better to trust a proven SEO-company or an experienced optimizer.

   Because in some cases you have to act against the Google checklist.

When to expect higher positions after switching to HTTPS

When will the position change in prominence, and in what direction, it is impossible to say in advance.

In the first month there is usually a 10-20% drop in traffic, and the citation index and Page Rank drop to zero. The indicators level off in about a month after switching to HTTPS.

However, it is already clear that HTTP sites will lose places in the top 10 in search engines. Therefore, in the next year it is necessary to install SSL certificates on all sites, regardless of the subject and commercial component.