HTTPS: It’s More Than Security.
Chances are you have visited a secure website with a URL starting with “HTTPS” (Hypertext Transport Protocol Security). This is commonly used for shopping, banking or e-commerce websites, but this security is also important for all other websites. You might be thinking, “my website does not offer e-commerce or take transactions, why should I care about offering HTTPS connection?”
HTTPS helps more than your website’s security.
1. It promotes your Google ranking.
Google favors HTTPS sites over HTTP sites and encourages webmasters to make the migration to a secure site. Back in 2014, Google updated algorithms across the board to favor HTTPS websites. In 2015, Google stated that their HTTPS ranking boost may serve as a tie- breaker if the quality for two different search results are equal in everything else. In fact, 40 percent of Google’s page one organic search results feature an HTTPS site.
2. It boosts your traffic.
HTTPS websites load much faster than HTTP websites, and sites with faster speeds are more likely to rank better. Better rankings can lead to more traffic. Furthermore, users are more likely to visit secure website over non-secure ones, thus improving your site’s click-through-rate.
3. It improves your conversion rate.
Users trust secure connections more. According to GlobalSign, a GMO Internet Group, “84 percent of users will abandon a purchase if data was sent over an insecure connection.”
You are running out of time.
In October 2017, Google Chrome started marking HTTP sites with a gray information symbol. This alerts the user the site is not secure if they click on the link or when the user starts to fill out a form. More than 50 percent of internet browsers worldwide use Chrome, meaning this change may have a significant impact on web publishers.
Beginning in July 2018, Chrome will begin explicitly warning users if a site is insecure.
A prominent warning will be displayed in Chrome’s address bar (also known as the Omnibox), indicating that an unsecured website is “Not secure.” This warning will show for all HTTP websites.
The HTTP security indicator will change to the red triangle for broken HTTPS when users enter text into a form on an HTTP page and for all HTTP pages in incognito mode.
Google is taking the prominent and aggressive approach to push all websites to be secure. While this new label only means that your site is not HTTPS, users don’t fully understand that, and many will likely feel a sense of unease if they see this on a site they are browsing. When users see red warnings, something as simple as entering a name, email, and phone number into a basic lead generation form can cause hesitation.
What should you do next?
HTTPS works simultaneously with another protocol, SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) to communicate information safely in three ways:
• Encryption: Encrypting the transferred data for security
• Data Integrity: Data cannot be altered or corrupted during transmission
• Authentication: Users are authenticated to communicate with the website
If your website doesn’t have an SSL certificate, get one. An SSL Certificate is a block of code on a web server that will provide security for communications online. When a browser makes contact with a secure website, the SSL certificate will enable an encrypted (secure) connection.
Be Proactive & Act Now: Get Your Website Secured
HTTPS is not only important for security reasons but for referred data as well, along with other SEO approaches. When examining the issue as a whole, it is highly recommended to switch to HTTPS. If you have a website that is already operating on HTTPS, you can take steps to test its security level and configuration. Due to the complexity of SSL and a few other factors like various plugins, there may be settings you would like to explore and adjust.
Need help with the switch to keep your website secured? Contact esd today at
(210) 348-8008 or info@esdandassociates.com.