For certain search queries, Google is suggesting HTTP URLs over the preferred HTTPs URLs in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). Certain search queries, such as when an HTTPs URL is put in the search box, will prompt Google to ask if the searcher meant the HTTP URL instead. With all of Google’s emphasis on HTTPs, and moving your site from an HTTP URL to an HTTPs URL, does it makes sense for Google to recommend an HTTP URL instead of an HTTPs URL?
The example at the top of this post shows what I mean. When searching for an HTTPs URL, such as https://www.hartzer.com, you’ll see that Google is suggesting that the HTTPs URL is a mistake–and that I should have meant http://www.hartzer.com. But, in fact I didn’t.
Google knows that this site is HTTPs, and has been for a while now. All indications, including the internal links on the site, the pages indexed, the 301 redirects from HTTP to HTTPs, and even recent links to the site and the site is on the HTTPs preload list. So why is Google suggesting that the HTTPs version of the site is a typo?
I posed this question on Twitter, and @gabs suggests that since the HTTP version shows more search results (226,000 results) versus the HTTPs version (215,000 results), then Google thinks that the HTTPs search query is a mistake.
If this is the case, then honestly I don’t think it’s right. Shouldn’t Google be “smart enough” to recognize that this search query is a HTTPs URL and not ask if the searcher meant something else? Google does know that the site’s URL is, in fact, HTTPs and not HTTP.
Here’s another example of this same thing happening: Google asks if the HTTPs URL is correct:
What do you think? Should Google be smart enough to recognize HTTP vs HTTPs in a search query?
Let me know on Twitter.
Hey @johnmu, when you put your site's HTTPs URL into Google's search box, and it says "did you mean" (the http version)? Is this something to worry about or try to correct? Nothing to correct on our side, as HTTP 301s to HTTPs and all other signals are correct, like sitemaps. pic.twitter.com/H23VRemQ5l
— Bill Hartzer (@bhartzer) July 24, 2018