Http to Https Everywhere for Google Ranking Boost. Do it Now!

Google has been pushing website owners to move from http to having their entire site https. You might be saying, wait, my entire checkout process is secure and in https...I have been doing this the entire time. Nope...this is different.

Everywhere HTTPS

It's been commonplace for awhile to have your checkout process secure and in https. Every single website should be doing this. But now, Google wants you to have your entire website, all the pages of your website https. It sounds daunting, but really isn't too bad to do. You just need to be thorough.

I have went through this process with a few of my clients already and will continue with getting them all HTTPS by the end of Spring.

Why Should You Do It?

  • Makes your entire website more secure
  • Can make your website faster (a good ranking signal)
  • Can help you position higher in free search (Google says it is a ranking signal)

If those three answers don't convince you, I am not sure what else will! From a development standpoint, it takes some redirection, and installing an SSL (if you don't currently have one). While I would love to help you do it, I understand some want to take it on themselves, so here are some tips.

HTTPS Conversion SEO Tips

  • When you add your redirects, make sure to redirect to the new page on https, not to the homepage
  • Use a tool such as Screaming Frog to see if you have any unsecure pages, usually from 3rd party hosted imaged.
  • Update and 3rd party websites like Google PPC to the new https website. This can take some time.
  • Add the new https website to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools
  • Update any canonical URLs
  • Update mods, apps and add-ons that may conflict with the new URL structure
  • Make sure all your internal and external scripts are updated
  • Redo your Robots.txt file and SiteMap

Final Thoughts

If you do a lot of business and online and ranking is important to you, this should be a goal to get done in 2017. Whether you have done it or not, would like help, would like an audit, we can help. Just contact us.

Thank you,

Jeff Moriarty

Jeff Moriarty