In today’s world, migrating your website from HTTP to HTTPS isn’t an option; it’s necessary. Web browsers like Chrome and Firefox leave you with no choice but to secure your website with an HTTPS protocol. Migrating to your website from HTTP to HTTPS is a simple process. Here is how you can migrate your website from HTTP to HTTPS:   

  1. Purchasing and Installing an SSL certificate.  
  2. Updating all your internal links, images, scripts, and stylesheets with a HTTPS protocol.  
  3. Implementing a 301 Redirect to divert traffic from HTTP to HTTPS.  
  4. Update your sitemap to include HTTPS URLs and submit it to search engines. 
  5. Updating your website’s URL in external services like Google Analytics or other third-party services.  

This blog post will walk you through everything you need to know about migrating successfully from HTTP to HTTPS. 

What is HTTP and HTTPS?

HTTP stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol. It is the basic technology used to transfer information between your browser and a website. However, HTTP does not encrypt the data being sent. Anyone who intercepts the communication can view sensitive information, like passwords or credit card details. 

HTTPS, on the other hand, stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure. It’s the same as HTTP, but it adds an important layer of protection: encryption. This encryption ensures that any data sent between your browser and the website is scrambled, making it impossible for others to read or steal it. HTTPS also ensures that only the server can decrypt the information sent between your browser and the website. Without HTTPS, your browser will send requests in plain text to the server, which leaves you vulnerable to attacks like Man-in-the-middle (MITM) or others.  

Why Migrate from HTTP to HTTPS  

Here are some reasons that highlight the need to switch from HTTP to HTTPS: 

  1. Security: As mentioned before, HTTPS encrypts the data, protecting sensitive information from hackers. 
  2. Trust: Browsers like Chrome and Firefox label HTTP sites as “Not Secure,” which can drive visitors away. HTTPS helps your site gain trust, especially if you are handling confidential information like logins or payments. 
  3. SEO Benefits: Google gives a ranking boost to HTTPS websites, so making the switch can help your site perform better in search results. 
  4. Compliance: If your website handles user data or payment details, using HTTPS is often required by regulations, like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Although HTTPS is much safer than HTTP, it isn’t without its caveats. You will need to ensure that your website is free from mixed content issues to reap the rewards of migrating from HTTP to HTTPS. 

To ensure your website is ready for HTTPS, you must closely examine the server configuration and any on-site content. 

Let us start with the server side of things. It is best practice not to configure your server to use HTTPS manually. Most web servers can serve content over SSL/TLS automatically, though you will need to check the settings for your chosen platform. WordPress offers built-in support for HTTPS if you’re using version 4.4 or higher – enabling this to be as simple as changing the WordPress Address (URL) and Site Address (URL) in your wp-config.php file to use the HTTPS:// prefix.

Next, navigate to Settings > General and ensure that your WordPress Address (URL) and Site Address (URL) both have the HTTPS prefix. In essence, if your site serves from a standard web server such as Apache or NGINX, you’re probably already using SSL/TLS without even knowing it! 

How to Migrate from HTTP to HTTPS

Migrating to HTTPS is a relatively straightforward process, though it will require careful planning and testing before switching. As with most things related to your website’s security, this is as much about preparing for futureproofing as it is about making the switch. 

  • Step 1: Obtaining an SSL Certificate  

Obtaining an SSL certification is the first step in enabling HTTPS on your website. Several types of SSL are available, but it is always recommended to use a certificate with an “Extended Validation” status because it offers the highest level of validity and security. While these certificates cost more than their domain-validated counterparts, they provide the most apparent visual indication to site visitors that your site will be using HTTPS. 

  • Step 2: Host with a dedicated IP address 

All primary web servers, such as Apache and NGINX, can use SSL/TLS without any issues. A dedicated IP address is a must if you plan to support only one domain with your certificate. This means that certificates with multiple fields will have limited incompatibility. Your website’s DNS records should also be updated so that you can redirect visitors to the new HTTPS URL. 

  • Step 3: Buy an SSL certificate 

Before using HTTPS on your website, you’ll need to purchase an SSL certificate from a trusted Certificate Authority (CA). Your web host may provide you with SSL certificates as part of their service. If they don’t, or if all major browsers and operating systems don’t accept their certificates, you may wish to opt for a dedicated SSL certificate rather than using your web host’s in-house certificate. 

You should also ensure that all major browsers and operating systems trust your chosen Certificate Authority – otherwise, visitors to your site won’t be able to access it via HTTPS. 

  • Step 4: Request the SSL certificate 

If you have purchased a single-domain SSL certificate, you will need to generate a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) using OpenSSL. After that, your CA will provide you with a signed SSL certificate which must be installed on your web server by your hosting provider. 

  •  Step 5: HTTP Strict-Transport-Security (HSTS) 

Once you have enabled HTTPS on your site, helping the HTTP Strict-Transport-Security header is an excellent second step towards securing visitors’ communications. It will ensure that web browsers automatically use an encrypted connection to access your site – provided they meet specific criteria such as having TLS 1.2 support and their clock set correctly – even if your site gets accessed over HTTP. 

  • Step 6: Install the certificate-parsing library 

This page describes installing the SSL certificate-parsing library in PHP. Nowadays, the preferred method for verifying an SSL/TLS certificate is to use a Certificate Authority file, also known as a bundle. It contains all of the CA certificates trusted for server authentication by significant web browsers. However, some websites may have custom requirements to trust only a subset of CAs or wish to generate their CA-signed certificates rather than a certificate bundle. 

  • Step 7: Update your site to enable HTTPS-only connections 

Once you change the domain to HTTPS on your website, the next step is to configure it so visitors can only access content via an encrypted connection (i.e., “HTTPS-only”). If users attempt to load any URL in your site that they cannot access via HTTPS, their browser will display an error message. However, if they’re still using an insecure version of HTTP, then they’ll get a mixed content warning, and the page will load as expected.

  • Step 8: 301 redirect to HTTPS 

If you’ve enabled SSL on your website, the final step is to configure 301 redirects so that search engines and other users can easily find your content via HTTPS. Otherwise, they’ll be stuck connecting over HTTP, which isn’t secure.  

After implementing 301 redirects, update your sitemap to include HTTPS URLs and submit it to search engines. Also, update your robots.txt file to reflect the new URLs. Then, test your website to ensure everything is working correctly. Check for broken links and mixed content warnings, and ensure all pages are accessible via HTTPS. Additionally, monitor your website occasionally for issues and ensure your SSL certificate is up to date.

Common mistakes people make while migrating from HTTP to HTTPS and How you can avoid them 

The key to successfully migrating your site from HTTP to HTTPS is preparation – if you aren’t careful, it’s easy to miss something and carry on using the wrong protocol. Here are some of the most common mistakes people make when migrating to their sites and some simple ways to avoid them. 

Not editing your site’s .htaccess file 

.htaccess files are similar to Apache’s HTTPd.conf file in that they contain many configuration settings for the .htaccess file itself and any content which gets embedded within it. Editing your site’s .htaccess file with care can let you control how visitors are handled by your website when making requests with insecure HTTP connections. 

Forgetting to update your internal links and forms 

When you change your website’s protocol from HTTP to HTTPS, it can be easy to forget about all the separate places this information gets embedded within your site, such as internal links, forms, JavaScript code, etc. If you do not update these, users will get mixed content warnings if they have migrated over to HTTPS, and you will lose out on the security benefits of using SSL. 

Not setting up an HSTS header 

An HSTS (HTTP Strict Transport Security) header is a way for browsers to tell web servers that they must always use HTTPS – even if the user tries to access your site by typing in the HTTP version.  

Conclusion

In the end, migrating from HTTP to HTTPS is a way for you and your website visitors to have secure interactions with each other. If you’re currently using HTTP, you must migrate over to HTTPS. It will ensure your site is compatible with the latest browsers and devices, which can also considerably impact Google’s SEO rankings. We recommend following this guide closely for optimal results!  

Contact the expert team of Bigrock for an SSL certificate and any query related to migrating to HTTPS! If you have any more questions, refer to our FAQs for clarity.  

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)  

  • Is HTTPS more secure than HTTP? 

Yes, HTTPS is a more secure version of HTTP. It adds encryption between the browser and server, ensuring data is safely transferred. 

  • Is HTTPS fully secure? 

HTTPS encrypts data in transit, preventing eavesdropping. However, it doesn’t guarantee protection once the data reaches the server. 

  • What are the cons of HTTPS? 

HTTPS uses more resources and processing power, which can slow down your website, especially with high traffic. It also requires a valid SSL certificate. 

  • Can a site with HTTPS be hacked? 

While an SSL certificate offers strong security, it doesn’t guarantee your site is immune to hacking. Therefore, it’s important to have strong security protocols to protect your website from attacks. 

We’d love to hear from you! Share your thoughts or questions in the comments below!