Google To Mark HTTP Sites Insecure – What You Need To Know

Google to mark HTTP insecure – From July 2018, Google is rolling out huge changes to the way it considers sites without SSL certificates. Sites with HTTP instead of HTTPS will be labelled as “insecure”. This will have huge implications for these site owners – particularly those operating retail or eCommerce websites.

Of course, this is nothing new – over the past couple of years, the search engine giant has been pushing hard for sites to adopt encrypted communication protocols. If your site is yet to offer an SSL certificate, here’s what you need to know:

1) Your search engine ranking could suffer

Sites which use SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) or Transport Layer Security (TLS) currently enjoy a boost in search rankings as per Google’s algorithm. When these sites are visited in Chrome, a green padlock icon is noticeable in the address bar. This highlights the fact that the site is safe to browse, and safe to enter personal details into. As you’ll no doubt be aware, search engine optimisation is important and now security is an increased part of it.

2) Consumer confidence in your site could drop

Sites simply without SSL don’t display the green padlock at present. As of July 2018 these pages will be marked as “not secure” within Chrome. This will ultimately result in a drop in overall consumer confidence, causing your prospects to convert elsewhere, after all, who would feel comfortable entering their credit card details on an insecure site? Don’t risk visitors abandoning your site at the first click – get secure today.

3) You may need to prepare straight away

Migrating from HTTP to HTTPS can be a reasonably large task. This depends on the scope of your project and the size of your site. If you’re still operating without an SSL certificate, perhaps it’s time to begin liaising with your eCommerce web design team to begin making the required changes – the sooner the better.

Ultimately, there’s no longer an excuse for sites to remain unencrypted. For more information on how to get your site ready for Google to mark HTTP insecure in July 2018, why not contact us at Designbox Media to discuss how to implement the changes required to retain or improve your current SEO rankings?