If you've been paying attention then you already know that Google announced back in 2014 their intention to use HTTPS as a Ranking Signal. And you also know that we covered why they decided to do that and what it actually means for your website going forward in our article, Google says "Time to Go Secure!". So, this article is instead focused on how you can actually switch your site to HTTPS as smoothly as possible.

Now, if you are new to this discussion then we strongly urge you to stop now and read the previous article because it explains in detail some very critical aspects that you may not have thought of...like:

• The ranking boost is URL specific, not site wide.
• HTTPS is currently a very lightweight signal that only affects less than 1% of global queries.
• This includes ALL types of sites regardless if you have a shopping cart or not.
• The ranking boost is NOT what makes this change so important. It's the browser warnings that Google displays to people trying to visit your site that will kill your traffic first!

Example of a Chrome v38 visit to site with broken security certificate

This is the biggest update that Google has done in years because it affects every single website evenly across the board. It's not about links, or negative associations, SEO or even the quality of your content. It's about paying your dues to get a Secure Certificate and taking the time to get it in place correctly. Google has just drawn a very clear line in the sand. Our Advice?...step over to this side of it with us and we'll show you how you can migrate your ...