Right, so here we go again. It’s enough with the animals, the most recent being Pigeon which looked at local search. Google has announced on Webmaster Central Blog that a site served on an HTTPS version will benefit in search results, even if only a little.
Much as already been written about this and of course the debate rages on. Most people are querying why this is necessary on non-secure pages and what the cost will be, particularly to small business owners.
Aside from the financial burden we also need to consider the difficulty in moving a site from HTTP to HTTPS. There are changes required in your Webmaster Tools account and reviews of analytics will be necessary. Let’s also not forget the fact that there are redirections and backlinks to consider. Another side effect being discussed is what happens with social shares of content.
Whatever the case, a change like this needs to be really well thought out and pros and cons should be considered. Google states that this should affect less than 1% of queries and the rankings boost is minimal in the grand scheme of things. I do reflect however, how many times Google claims that only x% of queries will be affected when oftentimes it is much more than that.
Below is a list of sites that have posted additional information on this:
SEO Rountable: Going HTTPS/SSL Will Now Give You A Ranking Benefit In Google
Search Engine Land: Google Starts Giving A Ranking Boost To Secure HTTPS/SSL Sites
Webmaster World thread: Google To Give Secure HTTPS Sites A Ranking Boost
