11 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
11 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

Can changing http to https hurt rankings for aged site?

by thedog
10 replies
  • SEO
    • |
I bought a site off flippa, which is http. If I change to https, can this effect it's organic search results? The seller seems to think it can, while my support, a2 hosting, is pretty sure it won't, but they didn't sound certain.
#aged #changing #http #https #hurt #rankings #site
Avatar of Unregistered
  • Profile picture of the author MikeFriedman
    Technically, I would say they are both correct.

    If you do not handle the changeover to HTTPS properly, you would likely lose all of the site's rankings. If you do everything properly in the changeover, you should not see a loss in rankings, but you still could see some temporary bouncing around for a few weeks.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11316106].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author thedog
      Ok, how do you handle it properly?
      Signature

      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11316255].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author MikeFriedman
        Originally Posted by thedog View Post

        Ok, how do you handle it properly?
        The main thing you need to do is make sure that every HTTP url is 301 redirected to the corresponding HTTPS url. For most sites, that is handled through the .htaccess file, but it depends on what kind of server you are on.

        You will also want to go through the entire site and make sure all of your internal links are pointing to the HTTPS version of the site.

        Then you need to go through the site and make sure there are no mixed content issues. Those can throw up warnings in the browser as well. An example of mixed content would be an HTTPS page calling for an image from a non-HTTPS location.

        These are the main issues that I have seen come up on migrations to HTTPS.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11316279].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author thedog
    My main concern is having the not trusted badge in new versions of chrome and firefox, I think chrome even asks you to click a button to proceed.

    Seller said cloudflare is a good workaround for this, anyone have experience with this? I see they have a free version.
    Signature

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11316208].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Eve Jones
    Changing from http to https will affect your site in the beginning and it may shake your rankings but at the end your site will come up with positive results and as https increases trust factor of users, it is also recommended by Google. So, you dont need to worry much!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11316289].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Castor Troy1
    Changing http to https, initially it can create problem for for ranking, after somedays later there wont be any problem. Another thing is https is more secure than http. And this is approved by google so there wont be any problem.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11319019].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author BryrDe
    Originally Posted by thedog View Post

    I bought a site off flippa, which is http. If I change to https, can this effect it's organic search results? The seller seems to think it can, while my support, a2 hosting, is pretty sure it won't, but they didn't sound certain.
    there will be slight changes perhaps dancing in your ranking given if you have applied the proper 301 redirects and the content stay in tact.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11319724].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author gainerp
    Banned
    Yes, off course it may or may not harm your website.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11319918].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author XenG
    Nope. It's safe to do so. It's actually better if you do so. All of your http urls will automatically be directed to https. I understand where you're coming from since I also had the same concern last year. My site is in a way better position now than before. I say go for it!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11320274].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author avemfly619619
    Sometime, if you transfer to https then
    You will definitely gain benefit from this.
    Signature
    digital marketing company in Delhi | seo company in Delhi | SMO Company in Delhi
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11320427].message }}
Avatar of Unregistered

Trending Topics