In 2014, Google made an announcement that changed how every serious webmaster thinks about website security: HTTPS became an official ranking signal. A decade later, it remains one of the clearest and most actionable technical SEO factors you can control. If your site is still running on HTTP, you are giving your competitors a free advantage.
This article covers exactly what SSL certificates are, how they affect your rankings, and how to check whether your setup is configured correctly.
What Is an SSL Certificate?
SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer — though the technology has since been updated to TLS (Transport Layer Security), the term SSL is still widely used. An SSL certificate is a digital file installed on your web server that does two things:
- It encrypts data — any information passed between your visitor's browser and your server is scrambled so it cannot be intercepted by third parties.
- It authenticates your identity — it proves to visitors and browsers that your website is genuinely owned by you and not an impersonator.
When an SSL certificate is correctly installed, your site URL changes from http:// to https:// and a padlock icon appears in the browser address bar.
How SSL Affects Google Rankings
Google confirmed HTTPS as a lightweight ranking signal back in 2014. While it is not as powerful as high-quality backlinks or relevant content, it acts as a tiebreaker — when two pages are otherwise equal, the HTTPS page will rank above the HTTP version.
More importantly, Google's Chrome browser now displays a prominent "Not Secure" warning on all HTTP pages. This warning has a measurable effect on user behaviour — visitors see it and immediately lose trust, increasing bounce rates and reducing the time spent on your site. Both of these engagement signals feed back into your rankings indirectly.
There is also the matter of referral data. When a visitor travels from an HTTPS site to an HTTP site, the referral information is stripped. Your analytics will show that traffic as direct rather than from its actual source, making it harder to understand where your visitors are coming from.
Common SSL Configuration Mistakes That Hurt SEO
Installing an SSL certificate is not enough on its own. Misconfigured HTTPS is one of the most common technical SEO issues we see on otherwise well-optimised websites. The most frequent mistakes are:
Mixed content — your page loads over HTTPS but still references some resources (images, scripts, stylesheets) over HTTP. Browsers block these resources or show security warnings, and Google may still classify the page as insecure.
No redirect from HTTP to HTTPS — your site is accessible on both HTTP and HTTPS versions. This creates duplicate content issues and splits your link equity between two versions of the same page. You need a 301 redirect forcing all HTTP traffic to HTTPS.
Expired certificate — SSL certificates have expiry dates, typically 12 months. An expired certificate causes browsers to show a full-page security error, effectively making your site inaccessible to most visitors.
Wrong domain coverage — your certificate covers www.yourdomain.com but not yourdomain.com (or vice versa), causing errors for visitors who land on the uncovered version.
How to Check Your SSL Certificate
Our free SSL checker tool scans your website and reports back on your certificate status, expiry date, domain coverage, and whether your HTTP-to-HTTPS redirects are correctly configured. It takes seconds and requires no technical knowledge.
After checking your SSL, it is worth also running a page speed check — HTTPS can add a small amount of latency if not configured with modern protocols like HTTP/2, and speed is a direct ranking factor.
Getting an SSL Certificate
If your site does not yet have SSL, getting one is simpler than ever. Most reputable hosting providers — including Hostinger — offer free SSL certificates through Let's Encrypt, installable in one click from your hosting control panel. There is no longer any cost barrier to securing your site.
For e-commerce sites or any site handling sensitive user data, consider an Extended Validation (EV) or Organisation Validation (OV) certificate, which provides a higher level of identity verification and can increase visitor trust in payment and login pages.
After Installing SSL — Your SEO Checklist
- Set up a 301 redirect from all HTTP pages to their HTTPS equivalents
- Update your canonical tags to reference the HTTPS version
- Update your XML sitemap to use HTTPS URLs
- Update your Google Search Console property to track the HTTPS version
- Check for mixed content errors using your browser's developer tools
- Update any internal links that still point to HTTP URLs
Summary
HTTPS is table stakes for SEO in 2025. It provides a direct ranking signal, prevents user-trust-destroying security warnings, preserves referral data, and is now expected by every user who visits your site. If you have not yet migrated to HTTPS, it should be at the top of your technical SEO priority list. If you have, use our SSL checker to confirm your configuration is error-free.
Missed the previous article? Read: Anchor Text Strategy for Backlinks