Even as websites become increasingly content-heavy with large images and videos, visitors still expect sites to load quickly. To keep pace with these expectations, we’re excited to announce that all Squarespace websites with TLS (SSL) enabled are now delivered faster through the HTTP/2 protocol.

HTTP, or hypertext transfer protocol, is the method browsers and servers use to communicate with each other. The HTTP/1.1 version has been in use since the late ‘90s, and it powers a large portion of the Internet, delivering HD video, music files, and eCommerce transactions to our laptops, phones, and tablets.

Today, websites are more complex and browsers have evolved. HTTP/1.1 is starting to show its age with its performance limitations; that’s why the HTTP/2 protocol was created. It improves speed mainly by creating one constant connection between the browser and the server, as opposed to a connection every time a piece of information is needed. HTTP/2 can send and receive multiple messages simultaneously, has a priority provision to transfer more important data first, and can squeeze information into smaller chunks.

With HTTP/2, Squarespace is continuing to push the web forward. HTTP/2 is already supported by the most current releases of Chrome, Edge, Internet Explorer, Safari, and Firefox. TLS needs to be enabled on Squarespace websites to utilize HTTP/2 as there aren’t any browsers that currently support HTTP/2 over an unencrypted connection. Current Squarespace users can learn how to enable TLS (SSL) on their websites here.

Learn more about our HTTP/2 implementation on our Engineering Blog. If you have questions, contact our award-winning Customer Care Team.