In the ever-evolving world of search engine optimisation (SEO), the fundamentals have shifted. While content quality and backlinks remain essential, Google has raised the stakes by making technical trust signals a priority. In 2025, two non-negotiable components of SEO success are a secure website (HTTPS) and mobile usability. These directly impact user trust, accessibility, and visibility in search rankings.
- 1. HTTPS: Building Security and Trust
- 2. Mobile Usability: A Ranking Must-Have
- 3. HTTPS + Mobile: A Core Part of Google’s Page Experience Update
- 4. How HTTPS and Mobile Usability Improve SEO
- 5. How to Implement HTTPS
- 6. How to Optimise for Mobile Usability
- 7. Avoid These Common Mistakes
- 8. HTTPS and E-E-A-T: The Trust Factor
- 9. Accessibility Matters Too
- 10. Case Study: Local Business Transformation
- References
This article will explore how HTTPS and mobile optimisation are central to Google’s SEO algorithms, how they improve user experience, and how website owners can optimise both for maximum ranking potential.
1. HTTPS: Building Security and Trust
HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) encrypts data between a user’s browser and the server, making web interactions private and secure. Google officially declared HTTPS a ranking signal as far back as 2014, and by 2025, it is expected that all high-ranking websites use HTTPS by default.
Key SEO Benefits of HTTPS:
- Increased Trust: Google Chrome marks HTTP sites as “Not Secure,” discouraging users from visiting.
- Better Rankings: According to Backlinko (2024), 99.1% of page-one search results use HTTPS.
- Required for Features: HTTPS is mandatory for AMP, progressive web apps, and service workers.
- Improved Security: It protects sensitive information and prevents content tampering.
🛠️ Tool Tip: Use SSL Labs’ SSL Test to check your HTTPS implementation.
2. Mobile Usability: A Ranking Must-Have
With mobile devices generating over 63% of global web traffic in 2024 (Statista, 2024), Google now uses mobile-first indexing—which means the mobile version of your site is what Google ranks.
Core Mobile Usability Factors:
- Responsive design that adjusts across devices.
- Fast mobile load times, especially on 3G/4G connections.
- Tap-friendly buttons and readable text.
- No horizontal scrolling or zooming.
“If your mobile site has issues, your rankings will suffer—even if your desktop version is perfect.” — Google Search Central, 2024
🛠️ Tool Tip: Check mobile optimisation using Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test.
3. HTTPS + Mobile: A Core Part of Google’s Page Experience Update
In 2021, Google launched the Page Experience Update, which was expanded by 2025 to include:
- Core Web Vitals (Largest Contentful Paint, First Input Delay, Cumulative Layout Shift)
- HTTPS
- Mobile-friendliness
- No intrusive interstitials (pop-ups)
These factors influence how Google prioritises pages in SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages). Even if your content is strong, failing mobile or HTTPS checks can suppress your rankings.
According to SEMrush (2025), websites that met all page experience signals had:
- 22% higher CTR
- 35% longer average session duration
- 20% more impressions
4. How HTTPS and Mobile Usability Improve SEO
| Feature | SEO Impact |
| HTTPS | Enables secure crawling, protects data, and boosts trust |
| Mobile Usability | Essential for indexing, user retention, and engagement |
| Combined Effect | Higher SERP position, lower bounce rate, better UX |
🧪 In a case study by a SaaS brand, implementing HTTPS and responsive design boosted organic traffic by 30% within 90 days.
5. How to Implement HTTPS
Step-by-Step:
- Get an SSL certificate (free via Let’s Encrypt or through your hosting provider).
- Install it on your web server.
- Redirect all HTTP URLs to HTTPS using 301 redirects.
- Update internal links, canonical tags, and sitemap URLs to HTTPS.
- Submit the new sitemap to Google Search Console.
🛠️ Use Why No Padlock to detect mixed content issues.
6. How to Optimise for Mobile Usability
Best Practices:
- Use responsive web design (not separate mobile domains).
- Ensure buttons and links are easy to tap.
- Use readable fonts (minimum 16px).
- Avoid using Flash and excessive scripts.
- Compress images and enable lazy loading.
🛠️ Audit your mobile UX with Google Lighthouse.
7. Avoid These Common Mistakes
| Mistake | How to Fix |
| Only securing login/checkout pages | Secure the entire website with HTTPS |
| Not setting up redirects after HTTPS switch | Use 301 redirects for all HTTP versions |
| Unoptimised mobile page load | Compress files, use CDN, remove render-blocking scripts |
| Overlapping or non-responsive elements | Test on multiple devices and apply proper CSS media queries |
8. HTTPS and E-E-A-T: The Trust Factor
Google’s E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust) framework values trustworthiness more than ever—especially for YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) websites in sectors like finance, health, and eCommerce.
A secure HTTPS connection is a baseline trust signal:
- Prevents man-in-the-middle attacks
- Verifies site authenticity
- Builds confidence for purchases and data entry
9. Accessibility Matters Too
Accessibility goes hand-in-hand with mobile usability. If your site isn’t usable by screen readers, voice assistants, or users with vision impairments, it could harm both your SEO and reputation.
✅ Tips for accessibility:
- Use proper heading structure (H1, H2, etc.)
- Include alt text for all images
- Ensure colour contrast meets WCAG 2.1 standards
🛠️ Test accessibility with WAVE or axe DevTools.
10. Case Study: Local Business Transformation
Before:
- Basic HTML site, no SSL, poor mobile usability
After:
- Installed SSL via Let’s Encrypt
- Used WordPress + responsive theme
- Passed all mobile-friendly and HTTPS tests
Results (3 months):
- Bounce rate dropped by 40%
- Rankings moved from Page 3 to Page 1
- Conversions increased by 27%
Note
In 2025, a secure and mobile-optimised website is non-negotiable. HTTPS ensures data safety and trust. Mobile usability ensures users (and Google) can access your content anywhere. Together, they form the technical backbone of modern SEO.
If you want better rankings, more clicks, and happier users—start with a secure and mobile-friendly website.
More Read
References
Backlinko. (2024). HTTPS and search rankings report. Retrieved from https://backlinko.com
Google Search Central. (2024). Page experience update overview. Retrieved from https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/page-experience
Google Search Central. (2024). Mobile-first indexing best practices. Retrieved from https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/mobile/mobile-indexing
Let’s Encrypt. (2025). Free SSL/TLS certificates. Retrieved from https://letsencrypt.org
Statista. (2024). Share of mobile vs desktop web traffic. Retrieved from https://www.statista.com
SEMrush. (2025). SEO ranking factors: Technical benchmarks. Retrieved from https://www.semrush.com
WAVE. (2025). Web accessibility evaluation tool. Retrieved from https://wave.webaim.org/
