What Is HTTPS and How Does It Affect SEO?

HTTPS protects your website visitors, builds trust, and directly supports better search engine rankings.

For any business investing in SEO, HTTPS is no longer optional. It’s a fundamental requirement. Without it, your website may be flagged as ‘Not Secure’, lose potential sales/leads, and struggle to compete in Google results.

At MultiWebMarketing™, we regularly see businesses improve trust signals, engagement, and search performance simply by ensuring their website is secure and technically sound. Here’s what you need to know.

What Is HTTPS?

HTTPS stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure. It’s the secure version of HTTP – the system used to transfer data between a user’s browser and your website.

When a website uses HTTPS:

• Data is encrypted
• Information cannot easily be intercepted
• Visitors see a padlock icon in the browser bar
• The site is labelled as ‘secure’

Behind the scenes, HTTPS works using an SSL certificate (Secure Sockets Layer), which encrypts data such as:

• Contact form submissions
• Login details
• Payment information
• Personal data

For any business website collecting enquiries, this protection is essential.

How Does HTTPS Affect SEO?

Google has confirmed HTTPS as a ranking factor since 2014. While it’s one of many factors, it plays an important role in your overall SEO performance.

HTTPS influences SEO in three key ways:

1. It’s a Confirmed Ranking Factor

While it’s one of many factors, secure websites have a competitive edge.

2. It Builds Trust (Which Improves Conversions)

If users see a site that isn’t secure, they are far less likely to submit an enquiry or make a purchase. Higher trust leads to better engagement – and search engines favour websites that users interact with positively.

3. It Protects Your Data and Reporting

Without HTTPS, referral tracking can be lost in tools like Google Analytics, making it harder to measure ROI. Secure websites support accurate performance data – critical for business decision-makers.

What Happens if You Don’t Use HTTPS?

If your website still runs on HTTP:

• Browsers may display ‘Not Secure’ warnings
• You risk lower trust and conversions
• SEO performance may be limited
• You could face compliance concerns if handling data

In some cases, mixed content errors (where part of the site is secure and part isn’t) can cause technical issues that harm performance.

Is Switching to HTTPS Enough?

No – HTTPS is a foundation, not a full SEO strategy.

To compete properly, your website also needs:

• Clear keyword targeting
• Quality content
• Fast loading speeds
• Strong technical structure
• Ongoing optimisation

Security is just one very important step towards growth.

Why This Matters for Business Owners

As a decision-maker, you don’t need to understand every technical detail. What matters is this:

• HTTPS protects your customers
• It supports visibility in search
• It strengthens brand trust
• It safeguards your SEO investment

If your website isn’t secure (or if a migration hasn’t been handled correctly) rankings and leads can suffer.

How We Handle HTTPS and Technical SEO

At MultiWebMarketing™, we ensure HTTPS migrations are managed properly, without damaging rankings. We audit your technical setup, fix security gaps, and monitor performance using best-practice guidance from Google Search Central.

More importantly, we focus on outcomes – enquiries, sales, and measurable return on investment.

HTTPS is a core technical requirement that on its own won’t get you to page one, but without it, getting there is much harder.

If you’re unsure whether your website is fully secure or technically optimised, contact us for a free professional SEO review that could prevent lost opportunities and unlock better performance.