Number of HTTPS Links counts the anchors on a page whose destinations resolve over HTTPS under RankGear’s compatibility rules. It returns a whole number, not a security grade — a high count can simply mean the page is navigation-heavy, and the metric never verifies that any linked resource is genuinely secure.
| Factor ID | RG-LNK-009 |
|---|---|
| Family | Links on the page |
| Measurement | Count |
| Measured zone | Anchor links in the rendered page body |
What it measures
This factor counts the anchors on the rendered page whose destinations resolve through HTTPS according to RankGear’s compatibility rules. It is a straight tally of secure-scheme links, reported as a single number for the page.
How RankGear measures it
RankGear counts every absolute destination that begins with https:. When the analyzed page is itself served over HTTPS, it additionally counts every non-absolute (relative) link, because those links inherit the page’s HTTPS scheme when resolved. Relative links on an HTTP page do not count, since they would resolve under HTTP. The result is the total of those qualifying anchors.
What RankGear looks for
<a href="https://example.com/page">absolute HTTPS — always counts</a>
<a href="/about">relative — counts only when the page itself is HTTPS</a>
<a href="http://example.com/">absolute HTTP — never counts</a>| Link on the page | Counts as HTTPS? |
|---|---|
Absolute link starting with https: | Yes, always |
| Relative link, page served over HTTPS | Yes |
| Relative link, page served over HTTP | No |
Absolute link starting with http: | No |
How to optimize it
Serve the site over HTTPS and link directly to the secure versions of internal and external resources. Repair mixed-content references, update persistent HTTP destinations wherever a secure equivalent exists, and keep certificates and redirects valid so those links actually resolve. Treat the number as an observation of how much of your linking is already secure — not a target to inflate. Adding links purely to raise the count works against page quality and does not improve security.
Important considerations
- The metric includes relative links on HTTPS pages, because they resolve under the page’s secure scheme.
- It does not test certificate validity, redirect chains, or destination availability — only how the link is written and the page’s own scheme.
- A high count can simply reflect a navigation-heavy page rather than better security.
- Security quality cannot be inferred from this count alone.
- This is a correlation-based signal within a measured result set, not a lever that makes a page rank; RankGear reports it to help you compare pages, and it guarantees nothing about position.
Related factors
Part of the Factors reference · how RankGear measures · glossary.