Should I Change My Website to HTTPS? What Every NZ Business Needs to Know

Why Is HTTPS So Important?

HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) is now the global standard for website security. If your website is still running on HTTP, it’s time to plan your migration—sooner rather than later.

Moving to HTTPS protects your users’ information, builds trust, and aligns your site with Google’s security requirements. Web browsers like Google Chrome (still the most popular worldwide and used by most Kiwis) now clearly mark websites as "Not Secure" if they don’t use HTTPS—especially on any page collecting information or payment details.

Key Impacts for NZ Businesses:

• User Trust & Conversions: The "Not Secure" warning can scare away potential customers, especially on forms, payment, or login pages—leading to lost enquiries and sales.
• Google & SEO Rankings: Google gives a small but important ranking boost to HTTPS websites. As more sites migrate, staying on HTTP could put you at a competitive disadvantage.
• Protection Against Hacking: HTTPS encrypts information, reducing the risk of customer data breaches and protecting your business reputation.

How do I migrate my site to https?

Start by talking to your website developer or hosting provider. The migration process may vary depending on your website platform (WordPress, Shopify, Webflow, custom build, etc.) and hosting environment.

Steps to move your site safely to HTTPS:

1. Obtain an SSL Certificate: Many providers now include free SSL certificates (like Let’s Encrypt), but paid options with advanced validation are available.
2. Install and Configure the SSL Certificate: Your host or developer should install the certificate and update server settings.
3. Update All Website Links: Update internal links, images, scripts, plugins, and templates to use HTTPS.
4. Set Up 301 Redirects: Redirect all HTTP URLs to their HTTPS equivalents using permanent (301) redirects—a crucial step to keep your SEO rankings intact.
5. Update Sitemaps and Robots.txt: Sitemaps and robots.txt must reference your HTTPS URLs.
6. Update and Re-verify Google Search Console: Add and verify the HTTPS version of your website.
7. Refresh External Links: Where possible, update key inbound links (directory listings, social media, Google Business Profile, etc.) to point to your new secure site.

Are there SEO benefits to being on https?

Google has communicated that there is a minor ranking benefit for websites being on https. However as more and more websites migrate the ranking benefit may be increased as a means to encourage the balance of websites to migrate to https.

There are also SEO risks associated with moving to https as this essentially includes an addressing change and has the potential to disrupt rankings if not managed correctly.

SEO https migration checklist

The following is a checklist of key points to be managed to ensure that your migration is successful and that you don’t lose organic rankings and traffic.

• Internal website links – update to use https or relative pathways.
• Page templates – update so that scripts, images, links etc are either using https or relative pathways.
• Plug in modules – update the addressing of these
• Canonical tags and href tags – check for these and update addressing
• Setup website redirects to https
• Update all old redirects that are active – this step is most important
• Update your sitemaps to include the correct addressing
• Submit and verify the https version of the website to Google Search Console
• Inbound links – update any that you have access to – directory listings for example
• Online advertising and social media links – update these where appropriate

For a more detailed site migration checklist, see Googles guideline…..

https://support.google.com/web...