How to Redirect HTTP to HTTPS and Non-WWW to WWW Correctly

Pick one preferred version of your site, such as https with www, and 301 redirect every other version to it in a single step. Without that, your site can exist at four addresses, splitting signals and confusing search engines. A correct setup means any variant a visitor types lands on one clean URL.

The four versions to control

• http://example.com
• http://www.example.com
• https://example.com
• https://www.example.com

Choose one as the preferred version. Which you pick matters less than being consistent.

Redirect in one hop

Each other version should send visitors straight to the preferred address with one 301. Chains such as http to https and then non-www to www add delay and risk. Learn more in redirect chains and loops.

Server rules

The rules usually live in your server configuration or an htaccess file. The htaccess redirect generator writes the code for common cases, so you do not need to hand-edit it from scratch.

Test every version

Enter each of the four addresses into the redirect and status code checker. Each should show a single 301 to the preferred address and a final 200.

Support it with other signals

• Use canonical tags that match the preferred address. See what a canonical tag is.
• Update internal links, sitemaps and profiles to the preferred version.
• Fix insecure resources after moving to https, using HTTPS and mixed content fixes.

Frequently asked questions

Next steps

If your site answers on several addresses, contact me here for a technical fix.

More in this series (redirect questions): start with Free Redirect and Status Code Checker, then explore:

• Do 301 Redirects Pass Link Equity and PageRank?
• How Long Should You Keep 301 Redirects in Place?