Does HTTPS Help SEO? Google’s HTTPS Ranking Signal Explained (2026)
In August 2014, Google announced that HTTPS would be a lightweight HTTPS ranking signal, affecting fewer than 1% of searches at first. Back then SSL certificates cost money and switching felt like a full site move; when we wrote this, QuickOnlineTips wasn’t on HTTPS yet. Today HTTPS is free, expected and the default for almost every site, including this one. Here’s what it means for SEO in 2026.
Quick answer: HTTPS is a confirmed but small Google ranking signal, now part of Google’s page experience considerations. It won’t lift weak content, but lacking it hurts: Chrome marks HTTP pages “Not secure”, which scares visitors. Get a free certificate from your host or Let’s Encrypt, 301 redirect HTTP to HTTPS, and update internal links.
Table of Contents
How much does HTTPS help SEO?
- It’s a tie-breaker-level signal, not a major factor. Relevance and content quality matter far more.
- Google indexes the HTTPS version of a page by default when both exist.
- Browsers warn users on HTTP pages, which can raise bounce rates and lower trust.
- Modern features like HTTP/2, HTTP/3 and many browser APIs require HTTPS.
How to move your site to HTTPS
- Get a certificate: most hosts include free SSL via Let’s Encrypt; Cloudflare also provides it.
- Install and force HTTPS: enable it in your hosting panel, then add a site-wide 301 redirect from HTTP to HTTPS.
- Update WordPress URLs: change WordPress Address and Site Address in Settings > General to https://.
- Fix mixed content: update image and script URLs that still load over HTTP (a search-replace plugin helps).
- Update Search Console: add the HTTPS property (or a Domain property) and submit your sitemap.
- Enable HSTS once everything works, so browsers always use HTTPS.
Check your HTTPS setup
Run the SSL Labs server test (external site) for a grade on your certificate and configuration (like the result pictured above), and look for mixed-content warnings in Chrome DevTools.
Related: HTTP/2 vs HTTP/1.1 and how secure Gmail’s HTTPS is. Google’s original announcement is on the Search Central blog (external site).
FAQ
Is HTTPS a ranking factor in 2026?
Yes, a small one. Its bigger impact is on user trust and browser warnings.
Will switching to HTTPS hurt my rankings?
There may be brief fluctuations, but with proper 301 redirects rankings carry over.
Do I need a paid SSL certificate?
No. Free Let’s Encrypt certificates give the same encryption and SEO benefit as paid ones.
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This is actually a great news for hosting websites as now individuals will purchase the HTTPS things that were earlier being overlooked the majority of the occasions. However I think HTTPS sites will be receiving benefit only if they’re storing user data. In situation of blog that aim at discussing only the information, content along with other white-colored hat Search engine optimization techniques continue to be likely to rock. :)
Simply cant afford it.. I do not have money to buy a SSL.. SSL doesn’t come alone and economical, dedicated IP, VPS and SSL itself !! Too Pricey move, cant justify it..
looks like google is just making things more and more difficult for newbie bloggers..
I love to have https on my website I don’t know where i have to buy it.?
is cloudflare will be better for me ?
i mean that its really important post for us.it really any https as there is nothing like money transfer and security in our site.
thank you.
Thanks for your valuable information on https.
but I have a query: ours’ is a coupon site does it require any https as there is nothing like money transfer and security in our site .
Will it affect the PR of our site???
Good information on e-commerce and seo! Thanks! Trust is always important
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Hi there, this very nice article which is a great use. Yes, I do agree that HTTPS certificates plays important role in websites and that will even effect Pr…
We use Yahoo! for our e-commerce website, and I believe they automatically changed our site over to https. They also recently released a badge that shows up on every page letting customers know that we have a secure checkout.
This is really a good news for hosting websites as now people will start buying the HTTPS things which were earlier being ignored most of the times. But I think HTTPS sites will be getting benefit only if they are storing user data. In case of blog that are meant for sharing just the information, content and other white hat SEO techniques are still going to rock. :)
HTTPS is more secure, so if Google is willing to rank then hire, then all the better on keeping online communities safe.
As https means more secure than http so it’s obevious they will rank higher than us,but we http are huge in number actually so no need to worry I believe :D
I’ve just recently started my blog and this seems a bit unfair. I dont have any money to spare.
I guess it will make an impact on much bigger sites looking for higher trust in search engines.
Excellent information, I was expecting the same update in very beginning of 2014. migrating to The least expensive SSL Certificates are beginning from $10 for per year.
As a result of sharing the particular useful. but we have one issue if our own website not necessarily High safety then our own website get ranking effect or perhaps not. nice article. many thanks
I can see this being a big factor in the future, the trouble is deciding when to make the move. I know there are ways to try and limit any loses during the transition. But there are bound to be some snags moving to https..
do we wait it out until it really matters?? (for none ecommerce / date transmitting sites) or get in early in the hope of being ahead of the game
I’m new in Blogging and I’m not using HTTP Secure to rank my Site.
So my question will i need to remove all the article from my site to avoid Blocking my site or is there any other option to continue…….., Google is just making things more and more difficult for me………….. Please suggest if you have any thing which can help me.
The cheapest SSL Certificates are starting from $10 per year. This is an investment, but if you are selling anything online, then SSL is a good idea. Just for the basic blogging, you’d might think twice.
I knew someone would think of a totally new category
Thanks to sharing the useful.but i have one question if our website not High security then our website rank effect or not.
And what about link building, referral and all the SEO we struggled to achieve? All that are gone when immigrating from a http to a https?
In my point of view, switching your website from http to https totally depends on the nature of your web portal. If you have sensitive data capture or any important information transfer option, then surely its a great practice to use SSL. If a person has a 5 page static website, I don’t think he / she will use SSL for it.
looks like google is just making things more and more difficult for newbie bloggers…
Simply cant afford it.. I dont have money to purchase a SSL.. SSL doesn’t come alone and cheap, dedicated IP, VPS and SSL itself !! Too Costly move, cant justify it..
So, if you are a hosting company you must be just rubbing your hands with glee. Imagine the revenue from the sale of all of those HTTPS certificates! Come on, is this really going to make any niticable difference to anyone’s serps?