HTTP vs HTTPS: Comparison, Pros and Cons, and More

If you’re thinking of switching to HTTPS but aren’t sure how it will affect your site, this article will walk you through the process.

We will explain the difference between the two in terms of security, performance and benefits of

Additionally, we will explore how these protocols transport data across the Internet and the important role of SSL certificates.

Additionally, we’ll discuss the pros and cons of each protocol to help you decide whether or not to make the switch.

Differences between HTTP and HTTPS

HTTP are the acronyms for Hypertext Transfer Protocol. It is the protocol that allows communication between different systems, transferring information and data through a network.

Secondly, HTTPS it means Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure. Although its operation is similar, HTTPS works to protect the communication between servers and browsers when there is an exchange of data.

HTTPS secures connections with a digital security protocol that uses cryptographic keys to encrypt and validate data. The most common way to use it and have a secure domain is with a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) or Transport Layer Security (TLS) certificate.

Remember that although TLS is becoming the standard for HTTPS, most SSL certificates support both.

How does HTTP work?

In practice, HTTP is an application layer protocol that browsers and servers use to communicate over the Internet.

When a user wants to load or interact with a website, their browser sends a HTTP request to the origin server hosting the site files. These requests are essentially lines of text that are sent over the Internet.

A connection is then established between the browser and the server, after which the server processes the request and returns a HTTP response. This makes the pages accessible to visitors.

HTTP vs HTTPS: Which is better for my site?

Technically, there is no correct answer.

It all depends on the type of site you manage and the data you handle. For example, a portfolio website and an eCommerce with membership features and digital payment systems have different security requirements.

However, it does not matter if sensitive information is not handled: HTTPS is becoming the standard for all websites. And not only that, there are numerous advantages to having an SSL certificate enabled.

Keep the following factors in mind when deciding between the two protocols.

Security

Having strong security measures and offering a safe browsing experience is crucial. A survey of GlobalSign revealed that the number of visitors are concerned about the misuse or interception of data by unauthorized persons.

As far as HTTP and HTTPS are concerned, the latter is better in terms of security.

The standard HTTP protocol does not encrypt connections. That means lines of text in a request or response are visible to anyone, including cybercriminals.

In this case, there are usually minimal problems if the text contains only general information, such as loading a public web page.

However, if it contains sensitive data such as usernames, passwords, or credit card details, using unencrypted HTTP can pose serious security and privacy risks. Since this information is visible to anyone, data breaches, hacks, and identity theft become serious concerns.

A client can tell if it is browsing HTTP sites by checking two items. First, the icon preceding the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) may display a symbol ! or say “Is not safe”.

The warning can also advise visitors not to enter sensitive or confidential information. Second, the URL will start with http://.

HTTPS = HTTP + SSL

To prevent potentially sensitive information from being leaked, SSL certificates are used to create a secure connection between servers and browsers, protecting the transfer of HTTP requests and responses.

The is the key difference between both protocols.

HTTPS encrypts the data transmission so that it is not visible to hackers or others monitoring the connection. This ensures data integrity and prevents information from being modified, corrupted, or stolen during transmission.

SSL/TLS protocols also authenticate users to secure information and ensure that it is not disclosed to unauthorized users.

A client can easily check if SSL/TLS is used. First of all, the padlock icon It should appear on the left side of the browser’s address bar, which means that the connection is secure. Second, the URL will start with https://.

Authority

When it comes to building trust and credibility with your customers, HTTPS is the best option.

Today, the HTTPS protocol has become a standard for all websites. As of September 2021, the shows that 99% of Google Chrome browsing time is done on this protocol.

In fact, almost 30% of users look for the lock icon when they are browsing. Therefore, its use offers several advantages, whether it is a personal website, a business website, or an e-commerce business.

With better protection against data breaches and leaks, a site that uses SSL/TLS will be seen as more credible and authoritative.

Not only can this help protect your website’s reputation, but it can also lead to higher browsing times and lower bounce rates. The more time users spend on a website, the more likely it is to generate leads.

For example, an HTTPS site may receive more registrations, purchases, or downloads. On the other hand, around the users they leave their shopping basket in one HTTP.

SEO Advantages

Google not only recommends that everyone use HTTPS for better security, but also rewards its use with a small in search engine results pages (SERPs).

In fact, a study of Ranger Rank found that in 2018, that of Google’s first page results they were sites that use HTTPS.

Let’s consider this in practical terms. For example, a competitor’s site may be similar to yours in many ways, such as content, speed, and backlinks. However, the competition uses HTTPS while you don’t.

Added to this is that sites with this protocol receive longer browsing times, which is beneficial for SEO, and it is clear who is the winner. Taking into account the Google algorithm, your competitor will most likely rank higher than your page, which will lead to higher traffic volumes and other SEO benefits.

speed and performance

Another advantage of using HTTPS is that content will load relatively faster with it, especially if used with a server that supports HTTP/2.

HTTP/2 supports HTTPS encryption and complements your security protocols. Among other features, HTTP/2 reduces latency by having low resource consumption and maximizing bandwidth efficiency.

This translates to faster speeds and smoother performance compared to using the standard HTTP protocol.

HTTPS is also a better option when uploading content to a mobile device, especially when (AMP). is a web component framework created by Google that, among other features, creates a more streamlined user experience for mobile users by loading content much faster.

For the AMP version to show up in search engines, a secure encrypted connection is required. Considering that, at the end of 2019, the number of search queries on Google came from a mobile device, the performance benefits of using HTTPS outweigh those of HTTP.

Referral traffic management

Using the HTTPS protocol helps preserve referrer data, which is an important aspect when considering SEO strategies.

Referral traffic is any visit received from sources other than direct traffic. For example, when visitors come through backlinks, ads, or social media, their visits are classified as referral traffic.

Enabling HTTPS means that you can identify the best and most reliable source of traffic through your analytics panel. On the other hand, analytics programs such as often classify traffic going through HTTPS referral sources as direct traffic on HTTP sites.

How to switch from HTTP to HTTPS

In this section, we will explain how to switch protocols on an existing website.

Important! First of all, you need to create a backup.

Before you begin, decide what type of SSL certificate you are going to purchase. Depending on the needs, it can be single domain, multi-domain or Wildcard.

Next, it’s time to enable HTTPS. You can do it through the control panel of your hosting account. For this tutorial, we will use the one from .

Check that the state is set to Activeand then click the button.

Wait for the notification that the process has been completed successfully.

Professional Tip

Not a user of hPanel? Here is a guide on how using .htaccess.

Changing from HTTP to HTTPS: risks and good practices

It is not uncommon to experience some SEO issues and concerns after making the switch. For example, you may experience an initial drop in traffic due to lower rankings in the SERPs.

Here are some common risks that can occur and how to avoid them.

Visitors cannot access certain web pages

After making the change, check the internal links. It is crucial to update them and direct them to the correct URL. If not, visitors may encounter an error page or receive a “This webpage is not available” message.

Updating internal links is an essential step if you use absolute links, such as https://www.mysite.com/page-name. These URLs contain the full address of a website, from the domain name and protocol to the path or location of the page within the folder system.

This step may not be necessary if you use relative URLs like /page-name. Since relative URLs do not use a full address and only the path, it assumes that the link belongs to the same site and is part of the same root domain.

Search engines can’t crawl and index your site properly

After making the switch, search engines like Google they might have trouble crawling and indexing your website.

Crawling occurs when Google uses AI to visit pages and “read” their content. All crawled pages are then included in Google’s index to provide results in response to…