Introduction
Since the introduction of the World Wide Web, there was a need for information transfer protocol that would allow fast, secure, and seamless flow of data between clients and servers. HTTP became the industry standard in the early 90s, and it’s been developed through several HTTP versions until it reached its present form.
WordPress supplies simplified web development experience, and it’s widely popular among novice users who need to set up a website. Therefore, it’s imperative to obtain a secure data transfer protocol that’s easy to apply without too much tech knowledge. For this reason, our article is going to let you in on how to implement HTTP 2 protocol on your WP website.
A Brief History of HTTP and What Changed in HTTP/2?
Hypertext Transfer Protocol or HTTP is a method of communication between a web browser and a server we’re trying to reach via a browser. The first version of HTTP protocol vas 0.9 and it was built in 1991 according to those day’s market demands, which was mainly text and just a few images.
As the internet grew faster and more widespread, the HTTP protocol grew better and allowed a faster flow of information. However, if we wish to understand the significance of HTTP/2 we should explain how this protocol operates in the first place.
Let’s imagine this protocol as a mail service. We enter an envelope with an address and it’s content and send it to the recipient. What HTTP did at first was send out GET and POST commands which are requests to send or receive a package. The problem with HTTP was that it needed to grow faster to deliver more complex data packages of today. Nowadays we have videos, HD images, loads of multimedia content, and apps that need fast data transfer. So what HTTP/2 protocol brings to the table?
· HTTP/2 allowed multiplex data stream which means clients receive more data from servers with less network consumption and faster.
· Server Push feature allows the server to send information that goes with the requested content, cutting down the number of requests the client needs to send. Moreover, the client can cash pushed data for future use.
· Perhaps the best part is the use of Binary Protocols which means that textual commands are transcribed to binary code (1 and 0) which lifts a great weight of the network.
HTTP/2 SEO Advantage
As you might have noticed by now, there’s a wide range of potential in HTTP/2 protocol. All that speed and low network consumption, combined with better encryption supply a set of SEO advantages that could help you rank your website higher.
Faster data transfer means higher page load results, which is of the essence for lowering your bounce rate and faster indexing by search engine crawlers. This also means that you can be more comfortable with placing multimedia content and not worry if all users will be able to stream information without issues. You can always put your website to the test to ensure performance results; there are tons of ways how to check website traffic and other metrics using Google analytics, Sitechecker, or some other software you prefer.
Moreover, every popular browser on the market supports HTTP/2 protocol by default, so there’s less chance of losing the audience due to technical incompatibility. Also, this protocol uses HTTPS encryption that enables secure communication aimed toward online financial transactions but also keeps user login data and all other information under a key owned only by the client and server. SEO is a powerful e-Commerce tool, and security is at the top of the SEO checklist in this industry.
How to Get Started with HTTP/2 for Your WordPress Site
The first thing you need to check is if your hosting company supports HTTP/2 protocol. This depends on the type of servers they own, however, most popular options are capable of supplying HTTP/2 support. If your hosting agency is in the 21st century, you should be able to set up a modern-day protocol on your website.
Some hosting agencies include a free certificate for this protocol while others demand a certain fee, there are no rules. Some providers offer hosting packages with free preinstalled certificates, so you don’t even have to do anything to implement HTTP/2 on your website.
If, however, you need to go through the process manually, you could opt for Let’s Encrypt certificate, and it will enable HTTP/2 protocol on your website. As for those users with older HTTP versions on their browser, you should not worry; the server will be able to communicate with them, too.
Conclusion
Faster transfer of information and low network consumption is the core advantages of HTTP/2 protocol. Most WP users are not tech-savvy enough to engineer a website that would perform better or be more secure without external help. Also, when you’re building a digital presentation or app on a budget, you need all the help you can get. HTTP/2 brings forth secure, economical, and seamless data transfer to maximize performance and user experience.
