I had only my main page changed to HTTP to test out if I want to change from HTTPS to HTTP. All my backlinks are to my HTTPS site. Will I lose all of my backlinks and have to start over when switching to HTTP?
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2Yes unless you 301 redirect your https site to http.– closetnocApr 28, 2017 at 21:46
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If i did 301 redirect will i get the full link juice?– BassemApr 28, 2017 at 23:11
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Basically yes. There may be a small loss though generally in perceivable.– closetnocApr 28, 2017 at 23:12
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3Chrome is starting to mark all HTTP sites as "insecure". Users will see uncomfortable and worrying warning messages unless you are using HTTPS for your website. You should keep HTTPS for user experience.– Stephen Ostermiller ♦Mar 19, 2018 at 10:27
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1 Answer
Google will switch between https and http (and vice versa) without any noticeable link juice loss - as long as the links (apart from prefix) are identical.
However if you want to make sure that your links return to http, and not leave it to Google or chance, then a 301 redirect will force the change.
Note that Google has stated that their Googlebot now automatically tests to see whether it is possible to serve pages via https without issue, whether you include hard coded https links or not, however they won't override a hardcoded http links.
They have also stated that they are beginning to provide a small preference to sites served via https so if your site is correctly setup for it, then it is preferable for rankings.
Basically if your site is setup correctly for https I am not sure why you'd want to go back to http as a secure connection increases trust for your customers and is preferred by Google.
LetsEncrypt and services such as Cloudflare provide free trusted certificates for your site.
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"Google will switch between https and http (and visa versa) without any noticeable link juice loss - as long as the links (apart from prefix) are identical." Do you have an official reference to back up your claim?– David K.May 17, 2018 at 7:22
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Hi @David K. you can check this link at Google - for confirmation support.google.com/webmasters/answer/…– garthAug 18, 2018 at 9:18
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Nutshell: - Google wanted people to start to move to https (since 2012). - Google since Aug 2014 says it is a small ranking signal webmasters.googleblog.com/2014/08/https-as-ranking-signal.html - Google provides Search Engine console to help you transition sites from http to https - it you do it properly with a properly written plugin, or even better by sorting your mixed content issues out see keycdn.com/blog/http-to-https and using the appropriate method (with htaccess 301/302 redirects), it is 100% OK.– garthAug 18, 2018 at 9:20