What Is HTTPS?
HTTPS stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure. It is the standard protocol for secure communication over the internet. When a website uses HTTPS, all data sent between the user's browser and the web server is encrypted using either SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) or its modern successor TLS (Transport Layer Security). This prevents third parties from intercepting or tampering with the data in transit.
You can identify an HTTPS website by the padlock icon in the browser's address bar and by the "https://" prefix in the URL. Websites that still use plain HTTP show a "Not Secure" warning in Google Chrome and other modern browsers, which significantly erodes visitor trust.
Google confirmed HTTPS as a ranking signal in August 2014. While Google has described it as a lightweight signal (less influential than quality content or backlinks), it remains relevant because non-HTTPS sites actively display security warnings that deter visitors and reduce conversions. For South African businesses running e-commerce or collecting contact details through forms, running without HTTPS is not merely an SEO concern but a potential legal issue under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), which requires appropriate security safeguards for personal data.
Migrating from HTTP to HTTPS requires installing an SSL or TLS certificate on your web hosting server and setting up 301 redirects from all HTTP URLs to their HTTPS equivalents. A correct migration ensures that SEO link equity is preserved. Incorrect migrations, such as setting up 302 redirects or allowing HTTP versions of pages to remain accessible, can fragment authority and cause ranking drops.
HTTPS In Practice
A Cape Town-based accounting firm launches a new website. Their developer installs a free Let's Encrypt SSL certificate on the hosting server and configures the site to redirect all HTTP traffic to HTTPS using 301 redirects. The firm's website address changes from http://www.example.co.za to https://www.example.co.za, and the padlock icon appears in visitors' browsers.
Google Search Console is updated with the new HTTPS property. Over the following weeks, Google re-crawls and re-indexes the HTTPS versions of all pages. Because 301 redirects were correctly set up, the firm's existing search rankings transfer to the HTTPS URLs without significant disruption.
The firm also notices a practical benefit beyond SEO: their Google Ads campaigns, which send traffic to their contact form, now work correctly because Chrome no longer displays "Not Secure" warnings on the landing page. Their form submission rate improves after the HTTPS migration, as visitors feel more confident entering their contact details. This illustrates that HTTPS is as much a conversion optimisation tool as it is an SEO requirement for South African businesses building trust online.
What HTTPS is
HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) is the secure version of HTTP, the protocol used to transfer data between a web browser and a website, with the added security of encryption, so that the data exchanged is protected from interception or tampering. When a site uses HTTPS, the connection between the visitor's browser and the website is encrypted (using SSL/TLS), meaning that information passing between them, such as form data, login details, payment information, and general browsing, is secured against being read or altered by third parties. HTTPS is indicated in browsers by the padlock icon and the https:// prefix in the address, signalling a secure connection, whereas plain HTTP is not encrypted and is flagged by browsers as not secure. HTTPS has become the standard and expected default for all websites, not just those handling sensitive data, because it protects user privacy and data integrity, builds trust (users increasingly expect and look for the secure padlock, and are warned away from insecure sites), and is required or expected by browsers, which mark non-HTTPS sites as insecure. Achieving HTTPS requires installing an SSL/TLS certificate on the site and configuring it to serve over HTTPS. Understanding HTTPS matters because it is now a baseline requirement for a legitimate, trustworthy website: it secures the connection, protects users, meets browser and user expectations, and, as a recognised signal, supports SEO, so having a site properly served over HTTPS is essential rather than optional for any modern website.
HTTPS, SSL and SEO
HTTPS relates to SEO and to SSL certificates in ways worth clarifying, since both come up when securing a site. On SEO, HTTPS is a confirmed (if lightweight) Google ranking signal: Google has stated it uses HTTPS as a ranking factor, favouring secure sites, so serving a site over HTTPS supports SEO, though it is a relatively minor signal on its own, its importance is better understood as part of being a properly-built, trustworthy, user-respecting site, alongside the fact that browsers now mark non-HTTPS sites as not secure, which harms user trust and can deter visitors, indirectly affecting performance. So HTTPS matters for SEO both as a direct (minor) ranking signal and, more importantly, as a baseline requirement for user trust and a good experience, since an insecure site flagged by browsers loses credibility and visitors. On the relationship to SSL: HTTPS is enabled by an SSL/TLS certificate, the certificate is what allows the encrypted connection, and HTTPS is the secure protocol that results from having it properly installed and configured, so they are related but not the same thing, the SSL certificate is the credential that enables encryption, and HTTPS is the secure protocol in use once it is in place. In practice, obtaining and installing an SSL/TLS certificate (many are available free, such as through Let's Encrypt, and hosting providers often supply them) and configuring the site to serve over HTTPS (with proper redirects from HTTP to HTTPS) is what makes a site secure. For a South African business, ensuring its website is properly served over HTTPS, with a valid SSL/TLS certificate installed and HTTP correctly redirecting to HTTPS, is essential: it secures visitors' data, meets browser and user expectations for the secure padlock, avoids the not secure warning that erodes trust, and provides the modest SEO benefit of the HTTPS signal. Because HTTPS is now the expected standard for all sites, having it correctly in place is a basic requirement of a legitimate, trustworthy, well-optimised website, not an optional extra.
FAQ
Does HTTPS improve Google rankings for South African websites?
Yes, HTTPS has been a confirmed Google ranking signal since 2014. While it is a relatively lightweight signal compared to content quality or backlinks, any South African website still running on HTTP is at a ranking disadvantage and will display a 'Not Secure' warning in Chrome, which damages user trust and conversion rates.
Is an SSL certificate the same as HTTPS?
Not exactly. An SSL (or TLS) certificate is the digital file installed on your server that enables HTTPS. HTTPS is the protocol itself. You need a valid SSL certificate installed on your hosting server before your site can serve pages over HTTPS.