# R9 | z-ai/glm-5.2 | run 1

## Prompt

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

## Response

For a website owner, the primary practical difference between HTTP and HTTPS is security and trust. HTTPS encrypts data in transit, protects against tampering, verifies server identity, and is required for modern web features and better search engine rankings, whereas HTTP leaves data exposed and is actively penalized by browsers [expressvpn.com](https://www.expressvpn.com/blog/https-vs-http/).

## Core Differences

| Feature | HTTP (http://) | HTTPS (https://) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Security** | None. Data is sent as unencrypted plain text. | Strong. Uses TLS to provide encryption, authentication, and data integrity. |
| **Browser Signal** | Flagged as "Not Secure" in the address bar. | Displays a padlock icon, signaling a secure connection. |
| **Data Integrity** | No protection. Data can be altered in transit without detection. | Protected. MACs prevent data tampering. |
| **Authentication** | None. You cannot verify you are connected to the correct server. | Provided. TLS certificates verify the server’s identity. |
| **SEO Impact** | Negative. Google penalizes sites without HTTPS. | Positive. HTTPS sites rank better than HTTP ones. |

## Practical Implications for Website Owners

**Security and Privacy**
Using HTTP means all traffic to and from your site is viewable and modifiable by anyone on the network path [letsencrypt.org](https://letsencrypt.org/docs/why-all-https/). Attackers can inject ads or malware into your server responses, and any sensitive information users accidentally submit via forms will be exposed. HTTPS encrypts this data in both directions, protecting usernames, passwords, and personal information [cloudflare.com](https://www.cloudflare.com/learning/ssl/why-use-https/).

**Trust and User Experience**
Since July 2018, major browsers like Chrome flag all unsecured HTTP traffic as "not secure" [cloudflare.com](https://www.cloudflare.com/learning/ssl/why-use-https/). This warning directly impacts user trust and can increase bounce rates. HTTPS provides a visible padlock icon, assuring visitors their connection is secure.

**Search Engine Optimization**
Google uses HTTPS as a ranking signal. Sites without HTTPS are penalized in search results, while HTTPS sites receive a ranking boost [expressvpn.com](https://www.expressvpn.com/blog/https-vs-http/).

**Performance**
HTTPS enables modern, high-performance protocols like HTTP/2 and HTTP/3, which are generally faster than the older HTTP/1.1 protocol that plain HTTP is limited to [expressvpn.com](https://www.expressvpn.com/blog/https-vs-http/).

How can a website owner obtain and install a TLS certificate to migrate from HTTP to HTTPS?
