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What is HTTP? What is HTTPS? If you don’t know the answer to these questions, you’re not alone. A lot of people don’t know the difference between HTTP and HTTPS, let alone how they connect to SEO. And that’s a problem, because understanding HTTP/HTTPS is essential for anyone who wants to optimize their website for search engines. In this post, I’m going to explain what HTTP and HTTPS are, and how they connect to SEO. But first, let’s start with a story…
What is HTTP?
HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol. It’s the protocol that allows communication between different systems on the internet. When you type a URL into your browser, your computer sends an HTTP request to the server where the website is hosted. The server then responds with the website content. HTTP is a simple request-response protocol, and it’s been around since the early days of the internet.
What is HTTPS?
HTTPS is an extension of HTTP that uses SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) to encrypt communication between the browser and the server. SSL is a security protocol that provides authentication and encryption for data in transit. HTTPS was developed to add security and privacy to internet communications.
How do HTTP and HTTPS Connect to SEO?
Google has stated that HTTPS is a ranking signal, which means that websites that use HTTPS may have an advantage in search results. Google wants to make the internet a safer place, and they encourage website owners to switch from HTTP to HTTPS.
There are a few reasons why HTTPS may be good for SEO:
-HTTPS is more secure than HTTP, and security is a priority for Google.
-HTTPS may improve your website’s speed (though this is still being debated).
-HTTPS may give you a small ranking boost.
Conclusion
HTTP and HTTPS are both protocols that are used to communicate between different systems on the internet. HTTP is the basic protocol, and HTTPS is an extension of HTTP that uses SSL to encrypt communication. Google has stated that HTTPS is a ranking signal, which means that websites that use HTTPS may have an advantage in search results. If you’re not using HTTPS on your website, you should consider switching to it. It’s good for security, and it may also improve your website’s SEO.
Jamie Fallon is an SEO expert who lives life to the maximum, redlining every day on a rollercoaster straight to the grave.
In an SEO career of almost ten years, he’s seen it all, he’s done it all, and he’s not impressed: from white text on a white background to today, when you can have robots paint or write for you like some kind of sick science fiction come true.
No matter what life throws at him, Jamie always manages to come out on top. He’s an expert at seeing the silver lining in every cloud and making the best of every situation. His positive attitude and unshakable faith in himself have seen him through tough times. For some people, success goes to their heads; but Jamie never forgets what got him to wherever he thinks he is.
When he’s not busy gaming the system, you can find him writing angry thinkpieces on how Google is ruining everything good about the internet, or hanging out with his wife (pictured).