HTTP and HTTPS protocols: what it is, how they work and what is the difference?

Many web users do not know what the letters HTTP and HTTPS that precede each search engine address refer to, but they are of great importance, for example, in terms of user security and the speed of uploading data to a website. If a site owner cares about the high ranking of his site on Google, he should be aware of the benefits of the HTTP and HTTPS protocols.

What is the HTTP protocol?

The HTTP protocol sends data to the browser from a server where all files belonging to a given website are stored. In fact, you can use the Internet thanks to it. The work of HTTP protocol can be defined as follows:
- using the Internet, the client sends a request to the server. This happens, for example, when clicking on a link of interest;
- the server sends the data of interest to the client. These are all content, graphics, photos, and banners.

How does HTTP work in practice? The protocol does not store information about users. The advantage of this solution is definitely less data load on the server, which results in much higher website performance. However, this also comes with one particular disadvantage - in order to enable the website multiple times, it must be downloaded from the server again. There is a solution to this problem - these are cookies. They are added to the site and constantly collect data about network users. The collected information can be used by the website owner for many marketing campaigns or during positioning. With the help of cookies, it receives information about the interests and last visited pages of visitors to its website. This allows him to advertise his new products or encourage them to buy a specific product if the order has not been previously placed. This tactic is commonly used in internet marketing.

What is HTTPS?

HTTPS is a much more common protocol that is used on websites which need to protect sensitive data. You can meet it on the websites of banks, online stores or exchange offices. The protocol encrypts the transmitted data, so even after it is intercepted, no one will be able to read it.

HTTP "becomes" HTTPS with SSL certificate. It appears in the URL field as a green padlock. This is a sign that the user is bold to make a payment on this site.

HTTP and HTTPS: differences

The main difference between HTTP and HTTPS is security. Which protocol should you use on your website - HTTP or HTTPS? The last option is definitely worth choosing. Data protection is important not only where payments are made. This type of encryption is also increasingly chosen by the owners of websites where users create profiles by providing their personal data.

Google somehow rewards websites that stay safe online with encryption. If you use the portal without an SSL certificate, you will definitely receive a warning in the form of a notification. In this way, search traffic moves to websites that have taken due care to protect their users. They choose not to use the previous page and choose places on the web that cannot harm them - a very responsible approach.

Another difference, less obvious and noticeable to users who are not familiar with the operation of protocols, is the use of a different default service port. In HTTP this is port 80, and in HTTPS it is 443.

Types of SSL certificates

When talking about how HTTPS works and the corresponding security on the network, you should consider its integral part, that is, the SSL certificate. It comes in several flavors, which indicate security levels.

DV certificates are the most popular and easiest to use. Their task is to verify the domain. The verification process consists of sending a link to an existing domain email address, confirming who owns it. After clicking on the link, a certificate is issued.

OV certificates are issued based on company registration documents. Only then can be verified the data required for issuing the corresponding certificate. DV and OV certification mark is "green lock".

EV certificates cannot be obtained as quickly and easily as with the above. The basis for their issuance is the information received from the owner of the company applying for the certificate. At the same time, the SSL issuing department specifies exactly which documents should be submitted. From the user's point of view, the EV Certificate is clearly visible - it is a green padlock with the name of the organization next to it. In this case, the user can be sure that he is dealing with professionals.

How to check if the website has an SSL certificate?

If the website has a valid certificate, a padlock icon will appear to the left of the website's address bar. After clicking on it, a short list of the most important information about this certificate will open - here you can find the validity status, the number of cookies currently in use and the website settings where you can manage all rights, including access to the microphone, camera and location.

Does the color of the SSL certificate lock matter? No! It may have a different color depending on the browser or device on which the user is viewing the current website. There is something much more important in its appearance - whether it is closed or open. If the red lock is open, it means that the site is dangerous.

Does the type of protocol matter from an SEO point of view?

The HTTPS protocol is one of the factors that helps search engines to rank high in search results. This is another way that Google “rewards” website owners who are concerned about online safety. Despite Google's ever-changing algorithms, HTTPS improves a site's search engine rankings.

Google itself has made changes to its policy, namely in the use of the HTTPS protocol. Thanks to them, you can now make payments without worrying about theft of payment card data. In August 2014, the company announced that the presence of HTTPS would be one of the factors affecting its ranking. And since 2017, it has been Google's policy to require stores to change the protocol from HTTP to HTTPS.

Has the rating actually increased? Since the introduction of the new algorithm and policy, no changes have been made to the positions of parties using the protocol and those not using it.

Moving from HTTP to HTTPS is especially important for large, top selling websites that need to gain the trust of their current and future customers. As user awareness of online security is growing steadily, more and more people will avoid places where the padlock is not visible next to the website address. Changes in traffic may not affect pages that are not very popular. On the other hand, large and recognizable websites that have already gained high visibility can quickly lose it due to this change, which is the need to use the HTTPS protocol. Every responsible user is afraid to leave his data there.

Nowadays, when most of life has moved to the Internet, proper website security is imperative. Therefore, when choosing one of the protocols, you should choose HTTPS. Unfortunately, HTTP is a thing of the past because it cannot protect users. One of its advantages is the ability to attach cookies to it, which ideally collect information about users, which is useful in activities related, in particular, to Internet marketing, such as remarketing.