Google
HTTPS / SSL as a ranking signal
In brief
Google officially announces that using HTTPS becomes a lightweight ranking signal, initially affecting less than 1 percent of global queries.
Key points
- Google officially makes HTTPS a lightweight ranking signal.
- Fewer than 1 percent of global queries concerned at the start.
- Encryption becomes an SEO advantage and a security standard.
- Kicks off a widespread migration of the web to HTTPS.
Analysis
By announcing HTTPS as a ranking factor, Google encourages the entire web to adopt encryption. The initial weight remains low, but the signal is strategic: it combines an incentive for security with a competitive advantage for sites that migrated early.
Over time, HTTPS has become a prerequisite of trust, reinforced by browsers' security warnings. A site on HTTP is today penalized in credibility far beyond the initial ranking signal alone.
What to do
- Migrate the entire site to HTTPS with clean 301 redirects and a valid certificate.
- Check for the absence of mixed content and update internal URLs, sitemaps and canonicals.
- Verify the proper indexing of HTTPS URLs and fix any redirect chains.
Impact
Moving to HTTPS becomes an SEO advantage and a security standard. Gradual migration of the entire web toward encryption.