Will changing https:// to https://www cause an issue with rankings?

[dateinadash]

Hello,

I have a problem with my website which is configured to run as https:// as opposed to with https://www

Everything is currently redirecting so if you type in https://www it will load as https:// only

Most of my backlinks over the years have been built to https:// ONLY and not https://www variant

Here is the problem... I have a CDN from cloud flare that doesn't appear to be working correctly because I am told it must work with websites configured to load as https://www

So, if we change the way the website loads in order to get the CDN working properly will this have an impact on my rankings? Naturally the https:// links will also be redirected to https://www but will it pass the same juice? Is it worth the risk to get the CDN working for what will be a marginal speed boost?

Thanks everyone!

Cheers, Rob.

 

[CarrieHill]

Hello,

I have a problem with my website which is configured to run as https:// as opposed to with https://www

Everything is currently redirecting so if you type in https://www it will load as https:// only

Most of my backlinks over the years have been built to https:// ONLY and not https://www variant

Here is the problem... I have a CDN from cloud flare that doesn't appear to be working correctly because I am told it must work with websites configured to load as https://www

So, if we change the way the website loads in order to get the CDN working properly will this have an impact on my rankings? Naturally the https:// links will also be redirected to https://www but will it pass the same juice? Is it worth the risk to get the CDN working for what will be a marginal speed boost?

Thanks everyone!

Cheers, Rob.

Hi Rob,

So - 1) the "reason" from cloud flare is kinda garbage - Most hosts, CRMs, and even google accept sites and have accommodations for www and non-www versions of a site. My FIRST course of action would be to push back on this one mightily.

2) You will likely see a bit of a dip in rankings if you change to www. and do redirects. You can probably do it at the HTAccess level to save some time and server resources. If everything is done correctly - it shouldn't be too impactful.... but there are a lot of moving parts to changes like this - so be deliberate in what you do and double-check the capabilities of the site and how the HTACCESS redirect works for your specific setup. This article might be helpful: The Easy Way to Redirect Non-www Website to a www URL

Good luck - I hope you find a painless resolution!

Carrie

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Here is the problem... I have a CDN from cloud flare that doesn't appear to be working correctly because I am told it must work with websites configured to load as https://www

This is suspicious. I have a dozen sites with Cloudflare, some www some non-www. It doesn't matter. Dig into this more with their support.

As Carrie said, with site wide redirects it's plausible to expect a minor dip as Google re-evaluates your site, but it should snap back to previous level.

 

[Emil Zakirov]

Hello,

I have a problem with my website which is configured to run as https:// as opposed to with https://www

Everything is currently redirecting so if you type in https://www it will load as https:// only

Most of my backlinks over the years have been built to https:// ONLY and not https://www variant

Here is the problem... I have a CDN from cloud flare that doesn't appear to be working correctly because I am told it must work with websites configured to load as https://www

So, if we change the way the website loads in order to get the CDN working properly will this have an impact on my rankings? Naturally the https:// links will also be redirected to https://www but will it pass the same juice? Is it worth the risk to get the CDN working for what will be a marginal speed boost?

Thanks everyone!

Cheers, Rob.

It's always cause problems. I usually don't redirect right away. I'm waiting for the sites to be glued together by the desired search engine - it's about a month. If you immediately put a redirect, then you can sink in the ranking.