Does HTTPS help SEO?

Yes, though it is a small ranking factor and a large trust one. The reason to do it is not really search:

• It is a confirmed lightweight signal - Google has treated HTTPS as a ranking factor since 2014.
• The browser is the bigger lever - modern browsers mark plain http pages as not secure, which visitors read as a warning.
• Forms are the real risk - anything collecting a name, email or payment detail over http is exposed in transit.

**94% of Australian small business sites already enforce HTTPS^*. Being in the other 6% is conspicuous.**