{
  "schema_version": "1.1",
  "id": "https-lightweight-ranking-signal-under-1-percent-queries",
  "slug": "https-lightweight-ranking-signal-under-1-percent-queries",
  "url": "https://groundedkit.com/claims/https-lightweight-ranking-signal-under-1-percent-queries/",
  "api_url": "https://groundedkit.com/api/claims/https-lightweight-ranking-signal-under-1-percent-queries.json",
  "claim": "When Google made HTTPS a ranking signal in 2014, it was very lightweight, affecting fewer than 1% of global queries",
  "commonly_cited_as": "\"HTTPS gives a big ranking boost\"",
  "verdict": "verified",
  "verdict_definition": "Primary source found; it says the same thing, the scope matches, and it is reasonably current.",
  "confidence": "high",
  "rating": {
    "value": 5,
    "best": 5,
    "worst": 1
  },
  "origin": {
    "publisher": "Google Search Central",
    "title": "HTTPS as a ranking signal (Aug. 2014)",
    "year": "2014"
  },
  "quote": "For now it's only a very lightweight signal—affecting fewer than 1% of global queries, and carrying less weight than other signals such as high-quality content",
  "method": "Official Google announcement. HTTPS is now part of Google's page experience signals.",
  "drift": [
    "Google said it might strengthen the signal later; it remains minor compared with content relevance"
  ],
  "interest": "Google describing its own ranking systems.",
  "safe_rephrasing": "Google introduced HTTPS as a ranking signal in 2014 but called it very lightweight, affecting fewer than 1% of queries and weighing less than content quality.",
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Google Search Central — HTTPS as a ranking signal",
      "url": "https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2014/08/https-as-ranking-signal",
      "primary": true
    }
  ],
  "kind": "reference_fact",
  "as_of": "Google announcement, Aug. 2014",
  "last_checked": "2026-10-16",
  "stale": false,
  "date_reviewed": "2026-10-16",
  "license": "CC BY 4.0",
  "license_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"
}