When converting to responsive website design, is switching to https at the same time a good idea?

• I'm managing a small city website. We're considering moving the site from a SquareSpace template to a WordPress Mobile Responsive template. The site is a bit dated but it seems to work OK. Most of the content will remain the same with only a few new pages.

  The site also has thousands of backlinks and that makes me think it would be wise to keep the same exact page URL structure, yes?

  Beyond that, what problems should I be mindful of, and what would be your approach to converting such a site to WordPress?

  Also, is this a good time to convert from the old http format to the secure site https protocol?

Answer:

Yes indeed! ...You should absolutely maintain the same URL structure.

If the site's ranking is importance and something that is critical to maintain (like, if it's making money), we recommend first switching it over to WordPress using the same URL structure and then wait for the site to get reindexed. Then, maybe a month later, flip it over to https.

However, if temporary fluctuations in ranking are unimportant to the success of the site then we'd do everything all at the same time.

Typically as a rule, however, we avoid making multiple changes all at once. However, since the switch over to https is usually an easy update (without problems in regards to ranking in the long term) we'd be comfortable making this change all at once.

The catch here is - If the site you're working on is highly profitable then you do NOT want to make too many changes as once. You want to change one thing at a time so that you don't disrupt a powerful income stream!

Here is a step by step guide to help you ensure your move to HTTPs is a smooth one! A 2019 Pro's Guide to Migrating a Site to HTTPS

Regardless of how you decide to handle it - Remember, we're always here to help you within FastAnswers. So, if you have questions or run into problems you're NOT alone in all of this!