Have you ever noticed the little green lock in your browser before, when you’re on certain websites? Normally, you want to see that green lock on any website where you’re going use your credit card or share any personal data.
I’ve been talking about the importance of having https (ssl certificate) installed on websites for a while now, but now Google has officially started penalizing websites for not have them. If you don’t have one installed yet, it’s now urgent you get one.
There are several ways Google is penalizing website:
- Blacklisting – for now, this only applies to sites that have logins fields or accept credit cards. Eventually it will include any sites with contact forms.
- ”Not Secure” – Chrome browser will start displaying this message in the address bar, just before your website address.
- Search Rankings – Websites without https will have lower rankings.
- Warning Icons – Warning Icons will be displayed on pages with forms that do not have https.
Still not convinced? Ok, for all you “glass is half-full” folks out there, here are the benefits of having https installed:
Protect your customers data! With all the news about Facebook and data privacy lately, it’s a great thing to show your customers while they’re on your website. Having https (ssl certificate) installed keeps the data flowing between your website and server encrypted, so hackers can’t easily intercept the data.
Better search rankings! Your website will get better rankings in search results, because Google is continuing to reward websites that have https. Think of it as a competitive advantage.
The Green Lock looks professional! Keep your website in good company, like Starbucks, Microsoft, Costco, and all the other large companies that have in-house IT Departments. They ALL have https on there websites.
I hope for all these reasons you’ll now consider have https installed. Contact us if you have more questions or need help have https installed.
