# R9 | deepseek/deepseek-v4-pro | run 2

## Prompt

Explain the practical difference between HTTP and HTTPS for a website owner, and cite a source.

## Response

Switching from HTTP to HTTPS is no longer optional for website owners. Beyond the obvious security encryption, HTTPS directly affects how visitors perceive your site, how search engines rank it, and how reliably your content reaches users.

## Browser Warnings and User Trust

Modern browsers display a prominent “Not Secure” warning in the address bar for any site still using HTTP [cloudflare.com](https://www.cloudflare.com/learning/ssl/why-use-https/). This immediately erodes visitor confidence and often leads to higher bounce rates, especially on pages that ask for login credentials, contact details, or payment information. The padlock icon and `https://` prefix, by contrast, signal that the connection is private and untampered with.

## Search Engine Ranking

Google explicitly favors HTTPS websites in its ranking algorithm. Sites that remain on HTTP are penalized in search results, while HTTPS sites enjoy a ranking boost [expressvpn.com](https://www.expressvpn.com/blog/https-vs-http/). For any website owner who depends on organic traffic, the SEO impact alone makes HTTPS a practical necessity.

## Data Protection and Integrity

HTTP sends everything in plaintext, meaning anyone on the same network—such as public Wi-Fi—can read or modify the traffic [letsencrypt.org](https://letsencrypt.org/docs/why-all-https/). HTTPS encrypts all data in transit, preventing eavesdropping and injection of ads, malware, or altered content. It also guarantees that what the server sends is exactly what the visitor receives, thanks to built‑in integrity checks [expressvpn.com](https://www.expressvpn.com/blog/https-vs-http/). This is critical even for seemingly “non-sensitive” sites, because a visitor’s form submissions, cookies, or browsing habits can be exposed or tampered with on HTTP.

## Authentication and Identity

HTTPS requires a TLS certificate issued by a trusted certificate authority. The browser verifies this certificate, assuring the visitor that they are connected to the genuine server and not an imposter [expressvpn.com](https://www.expressvpn.com/blog/https-vs-http/). HTTP offers no such verification, making it trivially easy for attackers to spoof a website.

## Performance Gains

HTTPS allows the use of modern protocols like HTTP/2 and HTTP/3, which are significantly faster than the HTTP/1.1 protocol typically used by unencrypted connections [expressvpn.com](https://www.expressvpn.com/blog/https-vs-http/). This means a properly configured HTTPS site can load more quickly than its HTTP counterpart, further improving user experience and SEO.

## Practical Migration Steps

For a website owner, the transition involves just a few technical steps:

* Obtain a TLS certificate (free options like Let’s Encrypt are widely available).
* Install the certificate on your web server.
* Update all internal links from `http://` to `https://`.
* Set up a permanent 301 redirect so that any HTTP traffic automatically goes to the secure version [expressvpn.com](https://www.expressvpn.com/blog/https-vs-http/).

Once the redirect is in place, the site will be universally served over HTTPS, and all the benefits—security, trust, ranking, and speed—take effect immediately.

Is your site currently on HTTP, and would you like guidance on the most straightforward way to obtain a free TLS certificate?
