You must have come across sites that start with Http and some with Https. But what is the difference between HTTP and HTTPS and why are these sites different in URLs? We are here to answer your question and tell you in the simplest language that if your website is HTTP, why and how you should convert your site to HTTPS.

Having a secure site has many benefits for SEO and SSL certification is one of the solutions that can help increase the security of your site. Before examining the difference between HTTP and HTTPS, it is necessary to give a brief explanation about the SSL certificate and the reasons for using it. Please be patient and join us.

Why do we need an SSL certificate?

SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer. Its job is to keep your Internet connection secure and to protect any sensitive information that is sent between the two systems.

In fact, the importance of SSL began when Google announced in 2018 in the form of a warning to webmasters. The announcement warned webmasters that if their website does not support the HTTPS protocol, they may run the risk of losing traffic!

But what is HTTPS and why should we change the site from HTTP to it?

What is HTTP?

HTTP is a protocol that communicates between a server and a clinic on a computer network. When a visitor enters a website, its information is sent to the visitor’s computer via http, and when information is returned to the website by the visitor, such as login information, the computer also uses http to send information to the web. The site returns.

In this case, all the information that is transmitted is visible to any person on the network and can be easily accessed by hackers. For this purpose, the secure version of HTTP is introduced in the form of HTTPS.

What is the meaning of HTTPS?

The letter S in https stands for Security, and https stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure.

At https, both the visitor’s computer and the website have a secret code that allows their information to be exchanged encrypted with each other and no one else on the network can access the transmitted information.

What is the difference between HTTP and HTTPS?

The difference between http and https is in the security of this protocol. In fact, the problem with HTTP is the lack of data encryption. This means that if someone is in the middle of exchanging information between the user and the website (such as an Internet service provider), they will be able to view the information exchanged. But this does not happen at https because of its security.

To understand the importance of this issue, suppose you are shopping from an online store and the banking portal of the website does not support the HTTPS protocol! In this case, all your information is exchanged without encryption on the Internet.

Vulnerability http

The https protocol solves many security issues. There are many reports of attacks that https has greatly reduced. Here are some of these reports:

• AT&T and Verizon monitored their browsing habits without informing customers
• China Telecom injected malware into users’ computers using http communications
• Airtel has also exploited users on this protocol.

Some of the issues that have arisen regarding cybersecurity include large technology companies. US companies have lost more than $ 3 billion in cybercrime, mostly due to hackers gathering information from their insecure communications. As hackers have become much more skilled, it has become very difficult to investigate and be aware of such cases. Accordingly, all leading companies have switched to the https protocol.

Many browsers have now completely changed their approach to https, so take a look at recent statements about their approach:

Mozilla: Use Https for full support

Mozilla intends to disable some of its features on websites that do not use https. They explain why: “We support Https because security on the web is central to our mission, apart from being targeted by this protocol, Https provides conditions that keep users safe in the web environment. has it”.

Apple: In-app links must be https

Apple has also stated that all internal links to apps must have https addresses. A statement that shows that Apple understands the importance of security. This means that any application that links to your website, this connection must be done through the https protocol.

Google: https-based websites rank better in Google results.

As mentioned above, Google has stated that the use of https is a necessity and intends to promote the use of this protocol among sites. By adding an SSL certificate to your website, you can attract more visitors to your business.

As you can see, migrating to https is a necessity, and the old http protocol is no longer compatible with today’s security needs and even the new features offered by many companies. Just as you no longer use the old dial-up modem to connect to the Internet, you should forget about setting up a website with http. Therefore, there can be no logical excuse to answer the question of why your website should be on the losing side in choosing https http. So at the first opportunity, in order not to lag behind the competition, buy an ssl certificate and launch your website with https.

The most important reasons for using HTTPS and its benefits

Improved rankings in search engine results

Google has not endorsed the use of HTTPS as a ranking factor, but evidence suggests that priority is given to websites that have used SSL in their domain.

Although using HTTPS may not change your ranking much at the moment, almost all SEO experts recommend switching HTTP to HTTPS as part of your SEO strategy. Also, due to Google’s advanced search algorithms and their compulsion to create a more secure web, we may see the impact of using HTTPS in SEO over time.

Better user experience

Browsers such as Firefox and Chrome use markers to indicate the security of websites, and users can easily be aware of this.

Globalsign website research shows that 84% of users refuse to buy on that website if they are aware of its low security.

So if your goal is to retain the user and turn him into a customer, put SSL on your agenda.

Protect user information

With SSL you can protect user data. Surely no one wants their website users’ information to suffer the fate of Facebook or be shared with others.

Following the hacking of Facebook accounts, the US Government Accountability Office said in a report that the expiration of the site’s security clearance was one of the reasons hackers were allowed to access undiscovered data.

Get the website security icon

Many users are concerned about the misuse of their data. To solve this problem, you can put a security icon on your site to ease users’ minds to some extent.

Experience has shown that site security is directly related to conversion rate.

You must have SSL to run AMP

Surely you know how important mobile optimization is for AMP SEO. By activating AMP, you can improve the site traffic and position in Google results. Interestingly, you will also need an SSL certificate to activate this feature!

More effective campaigns in Google Ads

One of the techniques to increase sales is to increase the security of the site, which we mentioned in the above cases. A lot of Google revenue comes from advertising sales. That’s why Google Ads always warns advertisers to use HTTPS addresses instead of HTTP on their landing pages.

How to identify sites with https

Some browsers will no longer open http pages and will show you a warning like the one below.

In other browsers, sites with https can be detected by seeing a green locked icon just before the url. Of course, starting the URL with https is another sign.

Steps to switch from HTTP to HTTPS

Migrating from HTTP to HTTPS is difficult for many people as they may encounter potential problems. In this section, we mention the steps to do this:

• Choose one of the types of SSL certificate
• Purchase SSL and install it on the domain
• Redirect all pages from HTTP to HTTPS
• Reconfirmation of ownership in Google Search Console
• Updating the site map (sitemap)
• Update the robots.txt file
• Update Google Analytics settings
• Do the test

Result

HTTPS has many advantages. It gives you both better performance and more security. It is now seen that all browsers encourage users to trust only websites that are using HTTPS because this is the only action that can help them reduce all kinds of attacks and threats.

You can check the strength of your SSL using online tools.