HubSpot SSL: HTTPS Now Included Free On Every Site

Buried deep beneath many other exciting announcements and feature add-ons, HubSpot announced the free support for SSL on their website platform. Inbound 2015 brings a lot of surprises and this is one such surprise we were waiting on for many reasons; most importantly: SEO IMPACT.

HubSpot Includes SSL Free

Speaking at SMX West back in 2014, Matt Cutts, the head of Google's webspam team, said that he would love to make SSL a factor in Google's ranking algorithm. It didn't take long for that to come to fruition as Google began testing a small portion of websites to see if HTTPS as a ranking signal was worth pursuing. 

According to their official announcement, they wanted to make sure that "all websites people access from Google are secure." They say they have started using HTTPS as a light-weight ranking signal now, but as time goes on, they could turn up the weight of HTTPS to have more of an impact on search results.

In short, Google is calling for "HTTPS Everywhere." See the video:

What Does This Mean for HubSpot Users?

In times past, adding HTTPS on a HubSpot website was no easy task. There was a pretty significant monthly charge added on to your bill, and getting SSL turned on took quite a while. In short, it was not a pleasant experience for our clients who signed up with HubSpot only to find out the headeache required to do a task that was normally a minor problem.

When Google came out and said they wanted HTTPS everywhere, a good many of us had to shrug wondering what kind of process this would be with HubSpot. But, like usual, HubSpot was ahead of the game and ready to provide the ranking signals their customers would need.

Rather than keeping it as a paid add-on, HubSpot announced that SSL would be free, included on every HubSpot wesbite. No more increased fees for something Google says must be there.

I was holding back my applause for this announcement because of the legacy of hardship in getting SSL connected to HubSpot websites. I was knodding in agreement as HubSpot's Dharmesh Shah described how difficult including SSL was on HubSpot.

But, thankfully, this has been geniuosly easy-fied for us non-programmers out there.

How to Enable SSL on HubSpot 

They have made this really easy. In fact, it's 'check a box and click save' easy. You can follow HubSpot's step by step if you need to, but the basic way to enable HTTPS for your HubSpot website is this:

1. Go to the Domain Manager Under Content>Content Settings.
2. Choose The Domain You Want to Secure.
3. Choose the Content Types You Want to Secure. (Everything)
4. Check the box, and click save.

After this, HubSpot will send you an email with instructions on how to update the CNAME in your DNS. This is a simple fix, and after it propogates, you are secure and reaping the benefits of increased SEO signals with Google.

Getting Help

For some people, messing with DNS and SSL certificates is intimidating, and it's understandable. This is your website, and if something happens to it you could lose a lot of business. If you would like some help with your website, engage Lean Labs, and we can help you make sure your website is secure, and ready to attract your ideal customers.