Website Security
Google wants secure websites.
Is your site HTTPS safe?
Google wants secure websites.
Is your site HTTPS safe?
A recent Google update is forcing website owners to add security measures to their websites, or risk losing out on nearly 50% of their traffic.
What’s changed?
As of January 2018, Google’s Chrome browser began marking any non-HTTPS website that asks for sensitive information as ‘not secure.’ And it isn’t subtle either, in fact, it is a big red warning – NOT SECURE!!!
And, effective sometime in July 2018, Chrome will mark ALL non-HTTPS sites in that big red warning – NOT SECURE!!!
Firefox is already doing this.
Chrome currently has about 59% of the market share, so the impact to website owners is very significant. More importantly, we know that searchers are very uncomfortable with websites that aren’t secure:
In a recent consumer survey, a whopping 85% of US based respondents said they would leave a site that is not secure.
And that’s not all. Google has already indicated that HTTPS is a ranking factor in their search algorithm. They have also indicated that they plan to give that factor more weight in the future, allowing a bit of a grace period in the meantime for website owners to get their sites into compliance. So, it goes without saying that anyone who owns or operates a website should take action now, before the penalty is even greater.
As marketing experts, we think it’s just good business to keep your website ahead of the curve when it comes to matters like this. Businesses who chose not to take action will no doubt see a loss in traffic, and will lose credibility.
It’s quite simple to identify whether your site has a security certificate, and there are a few different ways to do this.
The first way is to simply look at your website’s URL. Websites that are secure will show HTTPS, and those that are not will only show HTTP.
If it shows as HTTPS secure, you may be fine. However, you will need to verify that the http:// version redirects to the https:// version, and that all hard-coded internal links on your site are directed to https://.
If you have the Chrome browser installed, it’s quite easy to tell as well. All you have to do it enter a URL in the address bar, and any site that is unsecured will be clearly displayed as such, showing either a red “Not Secure” status, or, until July, an i in a circle icon.
Don’t worry, even a few very well-known sites were caught off guard by Google’s update. But there’s no time like the present to secure your site.
Great, you are at the right place. The good news is, this is our business, and we can do it right and do it well! Although you might be able to figure out how to create a security certificate yourself, it makes sense to have an expert do this for you, as setting up the certificate is only the smallest part of the job – the bulk of the work is doing it in a Google complaint manner.
Includes all of the following, so you can be confident you’re covered:
We exclusively provide marketing services to the design industry.
We are deeply embedded in a web of relations in your industry, have expertise in optimizing photo-heavy sites, and are passionate about optimization. Our agency was started by SEO expert Ken Lewis, with the view that search engine position is the bottom line for digital marketing as it drives traffic and builds revenues. No one is better qualified for this procedure than us. And, we stand accountable not just to you but to your peers. We are in this for the long-term and act accordingly.
If you’ve identified that your website is not currently secure, we’ll get you back in the green in no time! If you still have questions, schedule a phone call with us. Otherwise, go ahead and make your website secure now:
