Starting in July 2018 Google will start labeling websites that are not using HTTPS as “Not Secure” in their Chrome browser!
You can read more about this here – “A secure web is here to stay”
Google has also stated that HTTPS will be used as a ranking signal in their search results:
…over the past few months we’ve been running tests taking into account whether sites use secure, encrypted connections as a signal in our search ranking algorithms. We’ve seen positive results, so we’re starting to use HTTPS as a ranking signal.
This means that if you are not using HTTPS for your website you could loose search engine rankings!
What is HTTPS?
Here is a video from Google that explains why SSL and HTTPS are so important
Here are a few reasons you should convert your website to HTTPS/SSL
- Having a security certificate (SSL) properly installed on your website is a ranking Google factor
- Any website that handles credit card information should be using SSL to keep your customers information safe
- Some modern browsers will give a warning message to your visitors that says “NOT SECURE” if you don’t’ have https properly setup
If you are considering the switch to https we can help.
Give us a call and we can explain the items involved and the process to move your website over to https.
