Post by account_disabled on Nov 25, 2023 11:09:43 GMT
Asked about linking to insecure pages on websites and a negative impact on SEO, John Mueller, Google’s Search Advocate, interestingly explains how the algorithm works.
Caio Ferreira
Jul 18, 22 | 4 min read
linking to http pages seo
Need content for your business? Find top writers on WriterAccess!
Try for free
Google’s Search Advocate John Mueller gave an interesting answer when asked if sites linking to HTTP pages experience any drop in SEO.
The C Level Executive Email Lists answer is no. According to Mueller, “there’s nothing against linking to sites like these.” Even though linking to insecure pages does not affect SEO, the HTTPs protocol has been a well-known ranking factor since 2014. Check out his answer in the video below.
However, linking pages over HTTP can be seen as a negative factor by your users as it is a negative experience.
To better understand this, we will first look at the difference between HTTP and HTTPs internet security protocols.
What is HTTP and HTTPs and what are the differences between them?
HTTPs is already a ranking factor
Is it okay to link to HTTP pages?
But how does one implement the HTTPs protocol on their website?
What is HTTP and HTTPs and what are the differences between them?
Both are considered as Hypertext Transfer Protocols for the internet, which allow the transfer of data between the browser and the internet hypermedia servers, acting as standard formats of communication on the web.
The difference between the two is centered on the way in which information is transmitted. HTTP works in a way that sends data purely in text form, being susceptible to interventions during the message path, while HTTPs has an extra layer of security called SSL (Secure Socket Layers), or TLS (Transfer Layer Security) that provides encryption and security reliability to the exchanged data.
Here’s an example: imagine that you put your credit card details on a website and someone manages to capture the payment halfway. Such a situation could easily happen on an HTTP site.
HTTPs is already a ranking factor
As I said at the beginning of the article, Google announced in 2014 the importance of secure transfer protocol (HTTPs) for the ranking of websites in search engine pages.
The quote says:
“We’re also working to make the Internet safer more broadly. A big part of that is making sure that websites people access from Google are secure.
For these reasons, over the past few months we’ve been running tests taking into account whether sites use secure, encrypted connections as a signal in our search ranking algorithms.
We’ve seen positive results, so we’re starting to use HTTPS as a ranking signal.”
Furthermore, it is mentioned that Google’s intention with the change was to encourage website owners to switch from HTTP to HTTPs in order to make the web a more secure place.
So, following this line, to ensure your site does not face any penalty on this ranking factor, just direct them to HTTPs links?
According to Mueller, not necessarily.
Caio Ferreira
Jul 18, 22 | 4 min read
linking to http pages seo
Need content for your business? Find top writers on WriterAccess!
Try for free
Google’s Search Advocate John Mueller gave an interesting answer when asked if sites linking to HTTP pages experience any drop in SEO.
The C Level Executive Email Lists answer is no. According to Mueller, “there’s nothing against linking to sites like these.” Even though linking to insecure pages does not affect SEO, the HTTPs protocol has been a well-known ranking factor since 2014. Check out his answer in the video below.
However, linking pages over HTTP can be seen as a negative factor by your users as it is a negative experience.
To better understand this, we will first look at the difference between HTTP and HTTPs internet security protocols.
What is HTTP and HTTPs and what are the differences between them?
HTTPs is already a ranking factor
Is it okay to link to HTTP pages?
But how does one implement the HTTPs protocol on their website?
What is HTTP and HTTPs and what are the differences between them?
Both are considered as Hypertext Transfer Protocols for the internet, which allow the transfer of data between the browser and the internet hypermedia servers, acting as standard formats of communication on the web.
The difference between the two is centered on the way in which information is transmitted. HTTP works in a way that sends data purely in text form, being susceptible to interventions during the message path, while HTTPs has an extra layer of security called SSL (Secure Socket Layers), or TLS (Transfer Layer Security) that provides encryption and security reliability to the exchanged data.
Here’s an example: imagine that you put your credit card details on a website and someone manages to capture the payment halfway. Such a situation could easily happen on an HTTP site.
HTTPs is already a ranking factor
As I said at the beginning of the article, Google announced in 2014 the importance of secure transfer protocol (HTTPs) for the ranking of websites in search engine pages.
The quote says:
“We’re also working to make the Internet safer more broadly. A big part of that is making sure that websites people access from Google are secure.
For these reasons, over the past few months we’ve been running tests taking into account whether sites use secure, encrypted connections as a signal in our search ranking algorithms.
We’ve seen positive results, so we’re starting to use HTTPS as a ranking signal.”
Furthermore, it is mentioned that Google’s intention with the change was to encourage website owners to switch from HTTP to HTTPs in order to make the web a more secure place.
So, following this line, to ensure your site does not face any penalty on this ranking factor, just direct them to HTTPs links?
According to Mueller, not necessarily.