We have discussed HTTPS in the past and what that means to search engines like Google. This secure way of searching has allowed us to search without fear of someone tracking our data but it has created nightmares for marketers. Google search now runs on HTTPS and for all those marketers out there it has led to an increase in the [not provided] section of your Google analytics.
Matt Cutts announced that it was okay for you to switch your preferred domain over to HTTPS. There was concern that Google would have a hard time indexing and reading your site in this format but Cutts has told us that they will have no problem. Another concern people may have is that all old HTTP:// links will now be redirected to HTTPS:// and therefore provide less power for your site as Google values forwarded links less. Cutts points to PayPal moving over to HTTPS and having no issue ranking highly.
Personally I would hold off on changing your site over to HTTPS. Cutts says he cannot think of any reason why the switch would impact your search standings but his best example is PayPal. PayPal is an internet giant and I highly doubt that they would not catch the loss of PayPal in search engine results. Cutts also recommends that if you have several sites that you test the HTTPS switch on the site that gets the least amount of traffic.
I would hold off on a HTTPS switch for your site until further testing is confirmed. The internet has worked for a long time on HTTP and being the first one to the HTTPS party may not be the best idea.
-Matt Wilkos
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