Google HTTPS Ranking Signal (August 2014): What Changed and How to Get It Right

The Google HTTPS ranking signal was announced on 6 August 2014, when Google started using secure, encrypted connections as a lightweight ranking signal that affected fewer than 1% of global queries at launch. It was a nudge rather than a shake-up, and the real risk for most sites was never the signal itself but a badly handled migration from HTTP to HTTPS. You can see how it fits with later page experience changes in my full list of Google algorithm updates.

Detail	Information
Update name	Google HTTPS Ranking Signal
Type	Page experience / security signal
Rollout started	6 August 2014 (announcement date)
Rollout finished	Not announced
Rollout length	Not announced
Confirmed by Google	Yes, on Google’s Webmaster Central blog
Official source	SpeedGuide report of Google’s announcement

What the HTTPS update changed

On Wednesday 6 August 2014, Google wrote: “We’ve seen positive results, so we’re starting to use HTTPS as a ranking signal.” HTTPS means the connection between the visitor’s browser and the server is encrypted with a TLS certificate, so data such as form entries cannot easily be read or altered in transit.

Google was careful about the size of the change:

• It called HTTPS “only a very lightweight signal”, with less weight than signals such as high-quality content.
• It affected fewer than 1% of global queries at launch.
• It said it may decide to strengthen the signal over time, to encourage more sites to switch.

Alongside the announcement, Google gave practical migration advice: use 2048-bit key certificates, do not block HTTPS pages in robots.txt, and let Google crawl and index the secure version.

So this was not an update that punished HTTP sites. It was a small reward for HTTPS, plus a clear statement of direction.

Timeline

• 6 August 2014: Google announces HTTPS as a lightweight ranking signal on the Webmaster Central blog.
• After the announcement: Google’s Pierre Far explains that properly redirected HTTPS migrations consolidate indexing onto the new URLs.
• Later: HTTPS becomes one of the page experience signals. Google’s ranking systems guide now lists the “secure sites system” as retired and incorporated into successor systems.

Who was affected

Sites already on HTTPS received a small boost. Sites still on HTTP were not demoted as such, but in a close contest between two similar pages, HTTPS could tip the balance. Given the size Google described, nobody should have seen large ranking gains simply from installing a certificate, and I treat any claim of a big HTTPS-only ranking jump with caution.

The group that actually saw visible traffic changes were sites that migrated to HTTPS and got it wrong: missing redirects, mixed HTTP and HTTPS versions, blocked crawling or canonical tags pointing at the old URLs.

How to tell if the HTTPS update hit your site

With HTTPS, the realistic question is not “did the signal hit me?” but “did my move to HTTPS cause a problem?” These checks find most of the issues I see:

1. Compare property data across the switch. In Search Console, make sure you have a Domain property (which covers both http:// and https://) or both URL-prefix properties. Compare clicks for the two weeks before your migration date with the two weeks after. A gradual shift from HTTP to HTTPS URLs is normal; a net drop is not.
2. Test the redirects. Every HTTP URL should 301 to the same path on HTTPS in one hop. Check the homepage, a category page, a deep page and an old URL with parameters. Redirect chains (http to https to www to trailing slash) waste crawl and can leak signals.
3. Check canonicals, sitemaps and internal links. All three should use HTTPS URLs. A common mistake is a canonical tag still pointing at http://, which tells Google to prefer the old version.
4. Look for mixed content. Images, scripts or fonts loaded over HTTP on an HTTPS page trigger browser warnings and can break the padlock.
5. Check robots.txt and noindex. Google specifically warned against blocking the HTTPS site. Staging rules copied to live are a classic cause.

How to recover from the HTTPS update

If you are still on HTTP, the fix is to migrate. If you migrated and lost traffic, the fix is to repair the migration. Either way, this is the checklist I work through on technical SEO projects:

1. Install a valid certificate covering all hostnames you use (with and without www, and any subdomains). Google recommended 2048-bit keys.
2. Redirect every HTTP URL with a 301 to its HTTPS equivalent, page to page, not everything to the homepage.
3. Update internal links, canonicals, hreflang and sitemaps to HTTPS.
4. Remove mixed content by updating hard-coded http:// asset URLs in the theme, database and CDN settings.
5. Do not block or noindex the HTTPS site. Check robots.txt and meta robots on the live site.
6. Add an HSTS header once you are confident everything works, so browsers go straight to HTTPS.
7. Submit the HTTPS sitemap and monitor. Watch indexing in Search Console. As Pierre Far explained, properly redirected migrations consolidate indexing onto the new URLs, usually over a few weeks.

Symptom after migration	Likely cause	Fix
Both http and https versions indexed	Missing or 302 redirects	Permanent 301s, page to page
HTTPS pages not indexed	robots.txt block or noindex	Remove the block, resubmit sitemap
Browser “not secure” warning	Mixed content	Load all assets over HTTPS
Google prefers old URLs	Canonicals still on http	Update canonical tags

A migration is also a good moment to check load times, because certificate and redirect setup can add latency. My website speed optimisation work often runs alongside an HTTPS fix.

Is it still relevant today?

The standalone “secure sites system” is listed by Google as retired and absorbed into successor systems, and HTTPS was folded into page experience signals. In practice HTTPS is now the baseline: browsers flag HTTP pages that collect data as not secure, and visitors notice. I rarely find sites still on HTTP, but I regularly find HTTPS sites with leftover HTTP canonicals, redirect chains and mixed content years after the move.

Frequently asked questions

When did HTTPS become a Google ranking factor?

Google announced it on 6 August 2014 on its Webmaster Central blog.

How much does HTTPS help rankings?

Google called it “only a very lightweight signal” affecting fewer than 1% of global queries at launch. It will not lift a weak page past stronger ones.

Will moving to HTTPS lose my rankings?

Not if it is done properly. With page-to-page 301 redirects, updated canonicals and nothing blocked, Google consolidates indexing onto the HTTPS URLs. Most losses come from migration mistakes.

Is HTTPS still a ranking signal?

Google lists the secure sites system as retired, incorporated into successor systems, and HTTPS was part of the page experience signals. It is best treated as a basic requirement.

Sources

• SpeedGuide: Google confirms it is giving HTTPS sites higher search ranking
• WebProNews: What Google’s new ranking signal means for you
• Search Engine Land: Google algorithm updates library
• Wordtracker: Google’s most notable search ranking systems
• SISTRIX: Google updates and algorithm changes

If traffic dropped after you moved to HTTPS, or you are planning a migration and want it done safely, I can check redirects, canonicals and indexing for you. Request a free audit, or read what my SEO audit services include.