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Missing HSTS Header: How to Fix It

HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) is a response header that tells browsers to always use HTTPS for your domain.

Quick fix: Send the Strict-Transport-Security header so browsers always use HTTPS for your domain.

Why it matters for SEO

It protects visitors from downgrade attacks and removes an extra HTTP to HTTPS redirect on repeat visits.

How to fix it

  1. 1Make sure your whole site works on HTTPS first.
  2. 2Add the Strict-Transport-Security header in your server, proxy, or CDN.
  3. 3Start with a short max-age, then increase it to one year.

Example

Strict-Transport-Security: max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains

Frequently asked questions

Is HSTS a ranking factor?

No, it is a security best practice that also improves speed slightly.

Can HSTS break my site?

Only if some pages or subdomains do not support HTTPS, so test first.

Does your website have this issue?

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