HTTPS (SSL/TLS)
Encrypted connection between browser and server. Required for SEO and user trust.
HTTPS is HTTP carried over an encrypted TLS connection, so traffic between browser and server cannot be read or altered in transit. Browsers mark plain HTTP pages as not secure, and Google has used HTTPS as a lightweight ranking signal since 2014. Certificates are free, so there is no longer a reason to serve HTTP.
Definition
HTTPS (HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure) encrypts data between a user's browser and your web server using SSL/TLS certificates. It prevents man-in-the-middle attacks, data tampering, and eavesdropping.
Google confirmed HTTPS as a ranking signal in 2014. Chrome marks HTTP sites as "Not Secure" in the address bar, which destroys user trust.
Across every site SlapMyWeb has audited, 81.8% redirect HTTP to HTTPS — which leaves 18.2% with plain HTTP still served.
Measured from SlapMyWeb audits of live public URLs. The full aggregate is published as a CC-BY-4.0 dataset.
Why It Matters
HTTPS is a baseline requirement — not having it means lower rankings, browser warnings, and zero user trust. Let's Encrypt makes it free. There is no reason to not use HTTPS in 2026.
Example
After migrating from HTTP to HTTPS: ensure all internal links use https://, set up 301 redirects from http:// to https://, update canonical tags, and submit the new sitemap to Google Search Console.
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