Switching to HTTPS: Impact on SEO and Trust

Switching to HTTPS is now a standard, not an option. The switch brings trust and a ranking signal, provided it is done properly: a certificate placed without redirects can break your links and cause your visibility to drop. Here is the method to migrate to HTTPS without losing anything.

Why switching to HTTPS is important

Google announced in 2014 that HTTPS was becoming a ranking signal. At the time, it presented it as a light signal, intended to be strengthened over time, and reminded us that quality content weighs more than a simple padlock.

Today’s reality goes beyond this signal: a site remaining on HTTP is an exception, and browsers display warnings that degrade trust and click-through rates. Switching to HTTPS does not propel you to the top of the results, but remaining on HTTP can cost you visitors, regardless of ranking.

Obtaining and installing the certificate

The first step is to obtain a certificate for your domain, with or without the “www”. Free certificates, such as those from Let's Encrypt, cover most needs, and many hosting providers include them in their plans and manage their automatic renewal.

On an Atlas Hoster hosting plan, the certificate is included: you do not have to manage its issuance manually. Our help article details SSL certificate installation. The main thing is to verify that the padlock displays correctly, on the homepage as well as on internal pages.

301 Redirects: Do Not Break Links

This is the most important step of the migration. A 301 redirect permanently indicates that a page has moved from HTTP to HTTPS. Without it, Google and your visitors continue to arrive at the old address, and you lose the benefit of the work done.

The rule: every HTTP URL must redirect (301) to its HTTPS equivalent, one by one. A single global redirect that sends everything to the homepage breaks your deep links and dilutes your SEO. Our help on redirecting the homepage covers this point.

In practice, if your site is monentreprise.com, the page http://monentreprise.com/produits must redirect (301) to https://monentreprise.com/produits, not to the homepage. Each page thus retains its address, its authority, and its place in the results.

Updating Internal Resources

After the switch, your pages may still load images, stylesheets, or scripts over HTTP. The browser then blocks them, or displays a mixed content warning that degrades the display and perceived security.

Review your internal links and resources: everything must point to HTTPS. This is also the time to update your outbound links, email signatures, and social media profiles, so that the accumulated authority is transferred to the new address.

For example, an image called via http://monentreprise.com/logo.png on a page served over HTTPS causes the padlock to be lost: the browser blocks it or flags it as insecure. The review must be exhaustive, as a single insecure resource is enough to break the padlock on the entire page.

Verifying in Search Console

Google Search Console is your migration dashboard. After the switch:

• Add the property in HTTPS and validate it.
• Submit your updated sitemap, with HTTPS URLs.
• Monitor index coverage to identify redirect errors or blocked pages.

Search Console shows you concretely whether the migration is proceeding well, page by page. This is where missing redirects and remaining mixed content are detected.

A migration is monitored over several weeks, not just one day: Google’s bots take time to re-crawl the entire site. Therefore, keep the redirects active until the index has fully switched. Also choose a canonical form of the domain — with or without “www” — and stick to it everywhere, in redirects as well as in your internal links. This consistency avoids duplicates and concentrates authority on a single address. Finally, never remove 301 redirects after the migration: they continue to guide visitors and bots arriving via the old URLs.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

The classic pitfalls of an HTTPS migration:

• Forgetting 301 redirects: the site works, but Google continues to index the old URLs.
• Redirecting everything to the homepage: each page must be redirected to its exact equivalent, not to the homepage.
• Leaving mixed content: HTTP resources on an HTTPS page break the padlock.
• Changing URLs at the same time: migrating to HTTPS and restructuring URL schemes in the same operation complicates diagnosis.
• Not verifying after the switch: without checking in Search Console, a missing redirect can go unnoticed for weeks.
• Forgetting the sitemap: a sitemap remaining in HTTP delays the re-indexing of new URLs.

The switch to HTTPS is also the time to refine the overall experience: see our SSL certificate guide to choose the right certificate, and our article on Core Web Vitals for speed. Security and SEO work together — our article on anti-DDoS completes the picture.

For web hosting with an included and maintained certificate, which simplifies the switch, discover Atlas Hoster’s web hosting plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does migrating to HTTPS cause a loss of rankings?

Not if it is done correctly. A slight temporary fluctuation may occur while Google re-indexes the new URLs, but correct 301 redirects transfer authority and preserve your rankings.

Should I declare the address change in Search Console?

No, Google’s Change of Address tool is reserved for domain name changes. For a switch from HTTP to HTTPS, it is sufficient to add and validate the new HTTPS property, then submit the updated sitemap.

How long does the migration take?

The technical switch usually takes a few hours. Complete re-indexing by Google can take several weeks, depending on the size of the site and the frequency of bot visits.