This translation has not been editorially reviewed yet. The German version is authoritative. Deutsche Fassung →
HTTPS: a prerequisite, not a distinction
The check establishes whether the page is delivered encrypted. With no encryption, all transmitted data can be read along the way — form input, session identifiers, the addresses requested themselves.
- This point deliberately carries only a small weight: today it's the prerequisite, not the distinction. Nearly every page meets it, and anyone who doesn't has bigger problems than a score.
- More common than missing HTTPS is mixed content: the page itself arrives encrypted, but individual embedded files don't. These cases show up in the inventory of third-party connections.
FAQ
Why is HTTPS under data protection and not under technical checks?
Because this is about the confidentiality of the transmitted data. The technical side — redirects, status codes — belongs in the Indexing audit area.
Is a free certificate enough?
For the encryption, yes. The check assesses whether delivery is encrypted, not who issued the certificate.