Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure
Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure, known commonly as HTTPS, is the secure version of HTTP. In order to be classified as secure, a website must procure an SSL certificate which garners the HTTPS designation. This certificate ensures a secure connection, particularly for those sites that transfer sensitive information, such as credit card info or passwords. Thanks in large part to the growing popularity of HTTPS as well as a new iteration of Chrome (56) that will more clearly differentiate between HTTP and HTTPS, a looming question on a lot of people’s minds is, “Does HTTPS affect search engine optimization?”