HTTPS Migration
A HTTPS migration involves moving a domain from a HTTP protocol to a secure HTTPS protocol. Similar to a domain migration, there are several factors to consider to ensure the migration runs smoothly. We cover these within our Hangout Notes, along with further recommendations from Google.
HTTPS Doesn’t Improve Rankings
HTTPS ranking advantage is purely between your HTTP and HTTPS versions of the same page. It doesn’t offer any actual ranking improvements relative to any other website. So there is no actual benefit from migrating.
HTTPS Migrations Won’t Lose Pagerank
No PageRank is lost when you redirect a domain from HTTP to HTTPS.
HTTP and HTTPS Domain Variations Should Be Verified in Search Console
Both http and https domain variations should be verified in Webmaster Tools, but only some of the data is unique.
Verify HTTP and HTTPS in Search Console to Migrate
If you migrate from HTTP to HTTPS, you need to have both verified in Webmaster Tools and set up a redirect, but you don’t need to use the change of address tool which is only for moving between different domains.
HTTPS Migrations Can Cause Issues
Moving to HTTPS is complicated and has caused some unexpected problems.