As HTTPs effect on SEO and is it necessary content sites

HTTP-protocol is widely used on the Internet to retrieve data from the websites. Messages sent via HTTP-protocol are regular texts, which makes them vulnerable. This should worry the administrators of the websites that store users' personal information such as credit card numbers, usernames, passwords, etc. A protected HTTPS protocol was developed to defend the websites against the attacks.


HTTPs protocol is essentially a conventional HTTP, but working through encrypted mechanisms such as SSL and TLS. But what if your site doesn't handle payments, banking or hosting? Should you bother to transition to HTTPs? The main argument, why many sites still have not switched to a secure protocol - "we are happy, we do not handle personal data." Let's review in detail how attackers make money from your sites and your users, and think how this may affect SEO.


We all know that there is a boom of mobile technologies and mobile internet. There is also a growing need for seamless access to Wi-Fi. The foundation of Maslow's pyramid was to "eat and sleep", now in the pyramid base is "battery level" and "the presence of wi-fi"

... Every self-respecting local business provides users with free Wi-Fi - a variety of cafes and restaurants, hotels and hostels, shops and shopping centers, all public places do that these days. You can trust the hotel, where you live, but you do not know its technical administrator and his relationship with his boss.

The time comes when someone asks your friends on your behalf through social networks to do something. Even if you haven't ever encountered this kind of requests, as you constantly use of leaky systems the probability of encountering this particular problem increases. HTTPs protocols on the other hand solve this problem.

Back to the original question, when we have just a content or an online store without a personal cabinet, the text is passed through a provider in the direct form, it does not cost anything to modify it, for example, by embedding a script or frame, adding additional functionality, such as a branded button (even from the competition).


Some also added the search box in the user's browser, beautifully embedding it in a website. When using Wi-Fi in the subway, you will definitely see advertising in some form and fashion, sometimes even from the very reputable sites that never placed advertising banners. Someone will think that Apple recommends a taxi service, that's very nice for the service, but not for Apple.


While reading another interesting article in the cafe, you need to be prepared that you will see the current promotions for coffee.



Leaflets on the tables are not enough, you need to show the information right there where you look. Sometimes this advertising covers the entire desired content.


Also, reading the SEO-articles in the hotel, you will definitely come across something that you want to do more to become more financially successful.


Many free Wi-Fi-points in your city are not quite designed to allow access to the Internet. These are special projects with its model of money making through advertising and banners. The page for advertisers honestly describes the objectives of the project - "an innovative platform of online advertising." You do not see banners on your site, because you go there from your desktop computer. You can test it and access it from other devices and providers. If you have a website at the hotel or pizzeria, then sure thing the greatest percentage of users comes from mobile devices, and for sure they use the free City Wi-Fi to find out your address or phone number, or to order. Even if you have a simple blog, the audience still reads it from their smart phone.

Finally something about SEO - how HTTPs can affect SEO?


It's not going to happen directly, but through behavioral factors of influence. The main factor is the dwell-time that the search engines use in various ranking and anti-spam algorithms.

Advertising impacts the dwell-time, which reduces, on one hand, the authority of the site and on the other the behavioral factors. Both of which are bad for SEO. The larger the percentage of the audience that you use free Wi-Fi, the worse the impact to your unprotected HTTP-site. Advertising via Wi-Fi is only starting to develop, it is not yet used by all.

Basically, the problem is with smart phones. We do not see it, because it does not track the position and visibility of the websites in the mobile phones search (yet that's commonly available tools).

But as soon as we will have metrics, HTTPs will become much more popular. Now you can log into your system and compare the statistics for the site two segments - mobile and desktop traffic. Look at the number of failures and time spent on the site, and you will quickly realize just how critical your issue is and how urgently it is necessary to switch to HTTPs. It is better to solve these issues before your competition.