HTTPS as a Ranking Signal: What Google's 2014 Announcement Really Meant

In August 2014, Google did something unusual: it publicly named a specific technical ranking signal. HTTPS, the encrypted version of the web's transfer protocol, would now be used in ranking. For many SEOs, "switch to HTTPS for better rankings" quickly became a talking point.

The reality was more modest. Google described the signal as lightweight, affecting fewer than 1% of global queries at launch, and carrying less weight than signals such as high-quality content. Google framed the change as part of a wider push for a more secure web.

This post explains what the announcement said, how HTTPS later became part of Google's page experience thinking, and what a realistic view of HTTPS and rankings looks like in 2026.

Key Takeaways

• Google announced HTTPS as a ranking signal in August 2014 (blog post dated 6 August; widely reported on 7 August).
• Google called it a lightweight signal affecting fewer than 1% of global queries, with less weight than high-quality content.
• Google said it might strengthen the signal over time to encourage the move to HTTPS.
• HTTPS later became one of the page experience considerations, including in the 2021 page experience update.
• In 2026 HTTPS is a baseline expectation; Google says there is no single page experience signal and relevance still comes first.

The announcement at a glance

Item	Detail
Name	HTTPS as a ranking signal
Date	Google Webmaster Central (now Search Central) blog post, August 2014; dated 6 August, covered by TechCrunch and 9to5Google on 7 August
Type	New, lightweight ranking signal (later part of page experience)
Confirmed by Google?	Yes, announced by Google
Reported scope	Fewer than 1% of global queries at launch
Weight	Less than other signals such as high-quality content
Future	Google said it might decide to strengthen the signal

“lightweight signal, affecting fewer than 1% of global queries”

— Google, as quoted by TechCrunch, Google Says Website Encryption – Or Lack Thereof – Will Now Influence Search Rankings

What the announcement really meant

According to 9to5Google, Google said it had been running tests that took into account whether sites used secure, encrypted connections, and it was now using HTTPS as a signal. The framing was about security, following Google's "HTTPS everywhere" push at its I/O conference earlier that year.

Three details are easy to forget:

1. It was small by design. Under 1% of global queries is a light touch. Google explicitly said the signal had less weight than high-quality content.
2. It acted as a tie-breaker style signal. With little weight, it could only make a difference where other signals were close. That is an inference from Google's description, not a published mechanism.
3. It was a nudge. Google said it might strengthen the signal to encourage site owners to switch, in order to keep people safe on the web.

TechCrunch also reported that Google planned to publish TLS best practices covering topics such as certificate types, relative URLs on secure domains and indexing.

How HTTPS fed into page experience

For years HTTPS stood alone as a named signal. In 2020–2021 Google grouped several user-experience considerations under the page experience label. The page experience update rolled out gradually from 15 June to about 2 September 2021, according to Search Engine Land's 2021 review, which noted that Google did not expect drastic ranking changes. Search Engine Land's 2020 review explains that the page experience signals combined Core Web Vitals with older signals: mobile-friendliness, safe browsing, the absence of intrusive interstitials and the HTTPS ranking boost.

Google's current documentation is more nuanced. Its page experience page asks whether your pages are served securely and points to Search Console's HTTPS report, but it also says:

“There is no single signal.”

— Google Search Central, Understanding Google page experience

Instead, Google says its core ranking systems look at a variety of signals that align with overall page experience, and that it always seeks to show the most relevant content, even if the page experience is sub-par. Our page experience signal today post explains the current position in more detail.

Realistic expectations in 2026

Belief	Reality
"Moving to HTTPS will boost my rankings."	Expect little or no visible ranking change. Google described the signal as lightweight.
"HTTP sites cannot rank."	Google says relevance comes first, even when page experience is sub-par.
"HTTPS is optional."	Security is a baseline expectation of users, browsers and Google's page experience guidance.
"A migration is risk-free."	Poorly handled redirects, mixed content or canonical mistakes can cause temporary problems.
"HTTPS fixes page experience."	It is one consideration; Core Web Vitals, mobile usability and intrusive interstitials also matter.

For deeper context, read what page experience fixes can and cannot do for rankings and our HTTPS SEO guide.

Step-by-step: getting HTTPS right

1. Install a valid TLS certificate covering every hostname you use (for example, with and without www).
2. Redirect every HTTP URL to its HTTPS equivalent with a single 301 redirect. See 301 vs 302 redirects.
3. Update internal links, canonical tags, hreflang and sitemaps to the HTTPS URLs.
4. Fix mixed content so images, scripts and styles also load over HTTPS.
5. Check Search Console's HTTPS report and the Page indexing report for problems.
6. Monitor traffic and indexing for several weeks, comparing against a pre-migration baseline. Our website migration SEO guide has a full checklist.

Common mistakes

• Overselling HTTPS to clients. Promise security and trust, not ranking jumps.
• Redirect chains. HTTP to HTTPS to www to trailing slash in several hops wastes crawl effort and slows pages.
• Forgetting canonicals and sitemaps. Leaving HTTP URLs in them sends mixed signals.
• Ignoring mixed content warnings. They undermine user trust even when the page loads.
• Blaming HTTPS for unrelated drops. Compare dates with confirmed updates in our algorithm updates hub first.

Related Guides

• Mobilegeddon (2015): Google's Mobile-Friendly Update in Context
• The 2015 Quality Update (Phantom 2): Google's Quiet Core Change
• The Possum Update (2016): Local Filtering Changes Explained

Frequently Asked Questions

When did HTTPS become a Google ranking signal?

Google announced it in August 2014. Its blog post is dated 6 August 2014, and it was widely reported on 7 August.

How strong is the HTTPS ranking signal?

Google called it lightweight at launch, affecting fewer than 1% of global queries, with less weight than high-quality content.

Will switching to HTTPS improve my rankings?

Do not expect a noticeable ranking jump. HTTPS is a baseline for security and trust, and relevance and content quality matter far more.

Is HTTPS part of page experience?

Yes. HTTPS was one of the signals included in the 2021 page experience update, and Google's page experience documentation still asks whether pages are served securely.

Is there a single page experience ranking signal?

No. Google says there is no single signal; its core ranking systems look at a variety of signals that align with overall page experience.

Conclusion

Google's 2014 HTTPS announcement was less about rankings than about pushing the web toward encryption. Today HTTPS is simply part of running a trustworthy site. Do it properly, avoid migration mistakes, and keep your ranking expectations grounded.

Need help with an HTTPS migration or wider technical fixes? Our page speed optimisation and SEO services cover the technical foundations. Request a quote to talk to us.

References

1. HTTPS as a ranking signal — Google Search Central Blog
2. Google Says Website Encryption – Or Lack Thereof – Will Now Influence Search Rankings — TechCrunch
3. Google starts giving search preference to HTTPS encrypted websites — 9to5Google
4. Understanding Google page experience — Google Search Central
5. Google algorithm updates 2021 in review — Search Engine Land
6. Google algorithm updates 2020 in review — Search Engine Land