HTTPS SSL migration for your website – lose the warning, keep your rankings

What SSL / HTTPS means and why the warning matters

Moving to HTTPS encrypts the connection between your site and the visitor's browser and changes your URLs from http:// to https://. Today the standard is HTTPS on every page, often called "always-on SSL" – a secure contact form on its own is no longer enough.

Chrome and other major browsers label HTTP pages as "Not secure". Even a well-made site loses trust with that label, and the effects are easy to see:

• Visitors close the page just before filling in their name and phone number
• Partners and job candidates read it as a sign the company does not maintain its site
• Shoppers stop before entering card details
• Some browsers show a warning right next to form fields, so people do not press send

Open your own site on a phone and a computer and check the address bar. Sometimes the home page shows a padlock while inner pages or the contact form still show the warning.

The risks of staying on HTTP

On HTTP, data can be read or altered on its way between the visitor and your server. A form sent over public Wi-Fi travels in plain text – a situation neither you nor your customers want.

Google has confirmed that HTTPS is a ranking signal. Its weight is small compared with content and links, yet when a competitor offers similar content over HTTPS, you start one step behind. Browsers and services also assume HTTPS now: location access and many payment and tracking features only work on secure pages.

• Lost inquiries and sales from visitors who leave at the warning
• Personal data sent through forms without encryption
• No access to newer browser features and integrations
• An overall impression that the site has been left behind

A site without HTTPS is often outdated in other ways too, such as an old CMS version or a weak mobile layout. Our guide on when an outdated website needs a renewal helps you check the rest.

What an SSL migration costs

The cost depends on the type of certificate and on who does the migration work. For most business sites and online shops, a domain-validated (DV) certificate is all you need.

• Free DV certificates: Let's Encrypt and similar. Most hosting providers in Japan let you enable them in the control panel, with automatic renewal
• Paid DV certificates: typically from a few thousand yen a year, for those who want vendor support or a warranty
• OV and EV certificates: these also verify the organization, typically tens of thousands of yen a year or more; mainly used by banks and large companies
• Migration work: redirects, rewriting internal links and image URLs, updating analytics and ads. The effort depends heavily on page count and the state of the CMS

Shopify, BASE and Wix issue a certificate automatically when you connect your own domain, so there is no certificate cost at all. If you run WordPress on your own hosting, first check whether the control panel offers free SSL – that tells you most of what you need to know about the budget.

How to switch from HTTP to HTTPS step by step

The order matters. Turning on redirects the moment the certificate is installed can push broken layouts or failing forms live before anyone notices. A safe migration usually runs like this:

• Record the current state: page list, top pages and the current Search Console data
• Install the certificate: issue it on the server and confirm every page opens on https://
• Update URLs inside the site: internal links, images, CSS and JavaScript files all on https
• Fix mixed content: use the browser developer tools to find images or embeds still loaded over http
• Set up 301 redirects: send each http:// URL to its matching https:// page
• Update search and tracking: canonical tags, the XML sitemap, Search Console, GA4 and the final URLs in your ads
• Test after launch: send the forms, try payments and bookings, and check that email notifications arrive

On WordPress you change the WordPress Address and Site Address settings, and usually also run a search-and-replace for old URLs left inside posts. Take a full backup, including the database, before you start.

SEO checklist: keep your rankings through the switch

For search engines, an HTTPS migration is a change of address. With correct redirects, the signals of each page pass to its new URL; with gaps, some pages can drop out of results for a while. After the switch, check the following:

• Any http:// URL goes to the same page on https:// in a single hop – no blanket redirects to the home page and no redirect chains
• One version of the domain is used everywhere, with or without www
• Canonical tags and the XML sitemap list https URLs only
• The https site is verified in Search Console and the sitemap is submitted
• GA4 and ad conversions record the same way they did before the switch
• Links on social profiles, partner sites and your Google Business Profile are updated
• The certificate renews automatically

Certificate lifetimes are being shortened step by step across the industry, so automatic renewal is essential. For redirect rules in detail, see 301 redirects and SEO for site migrations; for protecting your site beyond SSL, see WordPress security.

How UNANOBO handles your HTTPS migration

UNANOBO can take care of the whole move: certificate setup, redirects, rewriting internal links, and updating Search Console, GA4 and your ads. Send us your current site address and we first build a free demo of a new, HTTPS-ready design, then go through the migration scope and risks with you. If you would rather keep the current design and only switch to HTTPS, the demo still helps you decide.

The process is free demo, feedback, launch, growth. The founder handles every project personally, from the first demo to the checks after launch, and everything runs by message in Japanese or English. Your domain, hosting and analytics accounts stay in your name throughout.