It’s rare that explicit advice is handed out by Google. So when they do, it tends to pay to take time to listen to what they’re saying.

Google have recently announced that they are already using HTTPS as a ranking factor with strong indications that this will become crucially important in the not too distant future.

First off, what is HHTPS – for non-nerds.

HTTPS is basically about securing a web page. It’s most commonly used on checkouts where important financial and personal information is being exchanged. It means that the internet baddies can’t steal your information as it’s passed back and forth over the internet.
So how does this work? Pages are secured by a piece of technology called a security socket layer, or SSL for short. Anyone with an e-commerce site is likely to have already bought an SSL. Instead of being attached to just a section (the checkout) of your website, it now needs to apply to all pages to ensure that everything is secure.

Do I need to do anything?

In short – no. You don’t have to do anything at this point. The world will not stop turning if you don’t act now. However, when the guys at google say jump, we reckon it pays to at least hop a little.
It’s not a huge ranking signal at the moment and most web users won’t even know it’s an issue. But it’s an issue that isn’t going to go away any time soon – if you are planning a new website in the next 12 months, then perhaps you should consider waiting. But otherwise, we suggest doing it now is better than waiting – with Google baking this notion its importance as a ranking signal is only going to increase with time.

Ok – I want to upgrade. What does it involve?

Depending on what you currently have in place, it’ll either be an upgrade or purchase of a security certificate that can cover your entire site. On top of that, unless you are a hard core nerd, you’ll probably need a little bit of development work to make sure it’s implemented correctly.
For further help or you just want to ask about how important this update is now or in the future, we’re just a phone call away.