--- title: "HTTPS ranking signal (2014): what changed and what applies now" url: https://seomadman.com/updates/https-ranking-signal-2014 section: updates language: en published: 2026-09-26T00:00:00.000Z modified: 2026-09-26T00:00:00.000Z author: Adam Hafez topics: ["Technical SEO"] --- # HTTPS ranking signal (2014): what changed and what applies now ## The short answer On 7 August 2014 Google announced it had started using HTTPS as a ranking signal. It called it a very lightweight signal, affecting fewer than 1% of global queries and carrying less weight than high-quality content. Today HTTPS is part of Google's page experience guidance, which says only Core Web Vitals directly help ranking. ## Key takeaways - Google announced HTTPS as a ranking signal on 7 August 2014 on its Webmaster Central blog. - Google called it very lightweight, affecting fewer than 1% of global queries. - Google said it carried less weight than other signals such as high-quality content. - Google said it might strengthen the signal over time to encourage every site to switch to HTTPS. - Google's current page experience guidance lists secure serving as one aspect of a good page experience. ## What Google changed Google announced the change on 7 August 2014 in a [Webmaster Central post](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2014/08/https-as-ranking-signal) by Zineb Ait Bahajji and Gary Illyes. After running tests over the previous few months that took into account whether sites use secure, encrypted connections, it said: "we're starting to use HTTPS as a ranking signal." Google framed it as part of its call for "HTTPS everywhere" on the web. The post also gave basic migration tips: choose the right certificate, use 2048-bit keys, do not block the HTTPS site in robots.txt, and follow the site move guidance. ## When it rolled out Google's post said it was "starting" to use the signal on 7 August 2014. It gave no rollout period and no completion date. This change was a new signal, not a named update with a rollout window, so there is no end date to wait for. ## What is known about its impact Google gave the figure itself. At launch it was "a very lightweight signal," affecting "fewer than 1% of global queries," and carrying less weight than other signals such as high-quality content. Google added that over time it "may decide to strengthen it" to encourage every site to switch from HTTP to HTTPS. Google published no later figure for how much weight the signal carried. ## What site owners should do Google's [ranking systems guide](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ranking-systems-guide) no longer lists HTTPS as a system of its own. HTTPS now sits in Google's [page experience guidance](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/page-experience), which asks "Are your pages served in a secure fashion?" That page also says that "beyond Core Web Vitals, other page experience aspects don't directly help your website rank higher," but that they still make a site more satisfying to use. In practice: - Serve every page over HTTPS, following Google's site move guidance when you switch. - Check Search Console's HTTPS report for pages that are not served securely. - Treat HTTPS as a baseline for users and security, not as a ranking lever. ## How to check whether it affected you This is historical: Search Console keeps 16 months of data, so it cannot show August 2014. If you kept analytics from then, compare a week before 7 August 2014 with a week in late August, remembering that Google called the signal very lightweight. The [Google Algorithm Updates timeline](/updates) lists the other updates of 2014, so you can check what else ran at the time. ## Related updates - The [mobile-friendly update](/updates/mobile-friendly-update-2015) was the next page experience signal, in 2015. - The [Speed update](/updates/speed-update-2018) was the page experience change of 2018. - The [page experience update](/updates/page-experience-update-2021) was the next page experience change, in 2021. ## Frequently asked questions ### When did HTTPS become a Google ranking signal? Google announced on 7 August 2014 that it was starting to use HTTPS as a ranking signal, after testing it over the previous few months. It stated no rollout period or completion date. ### How much did HTTPS affect rankings in 2014? Google called it a very lightweight signal, affecting fewer than 1% of global queries and carrying less weight than other signals such as high-quality content. ### Does HTTPS still help rankings? Google's current page experience page asks whether pages are served securely, but says that beyond Core Web Vitals, other page experience aspects don't directly help a site rank higher. ### Should I still move my site to HTTPS? Yes. Google's page experience guidance lists secure serving as part of a good page experience and points to the Search Console HTTPS report to check what to fix. ## Sources 1. [HTTPS as a ranking signal](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2014/08/https-as-ranking-signal) - Google Search Central Blog (primary) 2. [Understanding page experience in Google Search results](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/page-experience) - Google Search Central (primary) 3. [A guide to Google Search ranking systems](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ranking-systems-guide) - Google Search Central (primary)