Building Trust and E-A-T Signals

Google's Quality Rater Guidelines emphasize E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) as crucial factors for page quality evaluation. While quality raters don't directly impact rankings, their guidelines reflect how Google's algorithms attempt to assess quality. HTTPS implementation demonstrates trustworthiness—one of the three E-A-T pillars. Sites handling sensitive topics (Your Money or Your Life pages) particularly benefit from the trust signals HTTPS provides.

Brand perception improvements from HTTPS implementation create numerous indirect SEO benefits. Professional appearance and security consciousness influence how users and other websites perceive your brand. This improved perception leads to increased brand searches, more natural backlinks, and better user engagement—all positive SEO signals. The cumulative effect of improved brand perception can significantly impact search visibility over time.

Link acquisition becomes easier with HTTPS implementation as many high-authority sites refuse to link to non-secure sites. Publishers, news organizations, and professional websites increasingly require HTTPS for external links. This requirement means HTTP-only sites miss valuable link opportunities that could improve their domain authority and search rankings. HTTPS removes this barrier to high-quality link acquisition.

Local SEO particularly benefits from the trust signals HTTPS provides. Local businesses competing for map pack positions gain advantages through security implementation. Reviews mentioning feeling "safe" or "secure" on websites provide additional local ranking signals. Google My Business listings can highlight website security, and HTTPS implementation demonstrates professionalism that influences local search visibility.