Does linking to HTTP pages affect SEO? Google’s response

Google Search attorney John Mueller gave an interesting answer when asked if sites linking to HTTP pages experienced any drop in SEO.

The answer was: No. According to Müller, “there is nothing against linking to sites like these“. Although since 2014 the HTTPs protocol is a well-known ranking factor, links to insecure pages do not fail SEO. See his response in the following video.

However, users may find certain pages over HTTP to be a negative factor, and this negatively affects the experience.

To better understand, first look at the difference between HTTP and HTTPs Internet security protocols.

What is HTTP and HTTPs and are the differences between them?

Both are considered Hypertext Transfer Protocols for the Internet, which allow the transfer of data between the browser and Internet hypermedia servers, acting as standard formats of communication on the web.

The difference between the backs centers on the face on which the information is transmitted. HTTP works by sending data purely in the form of text, being susceptible to emergencies given the message path, while HTTPs has an additional layer of security called SSL (Secure socket layers) or TLS (Transfer Layer Security) that provides secure and reliable encryption to the data exchanged.

Get a sample: imagined that you put your credit card information on a website and someone manages to capture the payment halfway. This situation can easily be found on an HTTP site.

HTTPs is a ranking factor

As a consequence of the beginning of the article, Google announced in 2014 the importance of the secure transfer protocol (HTTPs) for the positioning of websites in search engine pages.

The city says: “We are also working to make the Internet more secure in general. A big part of that is keeping certain that the websites that browsers access from Google are safe. For these reasons, over the past few months we have been testing whether sites use secure, encrypted connections as a signal in our search ranking algorithms. We’ve seen positive results, so we’re starting to use HTTPS as a ranking factor.“.

Likewise, it is mentioned that Google’s intention to change the environment will be of great help for website owners to change from HTTP to HTTPs to make the web a little more secure.

So along these lines, to prevent your site from facing any penalty in this ranking factor, just direct them to HTTPs links?

According to Mueller, it is not necessary.

Is it okay to link HTTP pages?

He noted the final answer provided by Muller: “From our point of view, it’s perfectly fine. If these pages are on HTTP, that’s where they will link to. There is nothing against linking to sites like that. It’s okay if you find yourself on HTTP pages because it’s a bit old or not as interesting as HTTPS. I don’t worry about it“.

That is, there is no visible problem in linking to pages that use the HTTP protocol in SEO. In other words, Google will not penalize you for it.

However, in addition to the clear security and reliability problem of sites that use technology without the “s” at the end, it is not clear to the user if the same server from which information is requested will be the same one that delivers it.

It is important to keep in mind that as technology evolves, new forms of attack by cybercriminals also emerge. Thus, the importance of the role of professionals who work in SEO is made visible, contributing to the pages being a safe environment for the user and for the Internet.

If possible, opt for us to connect to secure sites and look for other alternative sites that may offer the same content or reference to those still on HTTP.

As an SEO strategist, you must address the user, think first about the experience they will have on your pages and keep them safe from any danger so that they are available to return again.

But how to implement the HTTPs protocol on your website?

To activate a security certificate on your website, you need to have a hosting company that offers this service.

Keep in mind that it is possible to make this purchase even with other service providers, depending on what best suits your portal.

We recommend this article for you to shop more on the subject.