Insights.

The new Chrome browser will show websites without HTTPS as insecure

08 Sep, 2017

Technology

On January 31 of this year, Google's Chrome browser began to display certain websites without the HTTPS protocol as insecure. Starting in October, pages that lack the HTTPS protocol and have forms (like contact forms or search bars) will be labeled as unsafe.

What is HTTPS and why do you need it?

For those who don't know, HTTPS is an Internet protocol that serves to protect the data that visitors to a website enter on that page. HTTPS has always been essential for websites that process purchases and collect credit card information, as well as for websites that allow user registration. Using HTTPS provides enhanced protection for visitors against potential theft of their personal information.

However, websites where there is no possibility to enter personal data have not been forced to use the HTTPS protocol until now. Google wants to make sure that all internet users are as safe as possible and has started insisting on the HTTPS protocol for all websites.

While non-HTTPS websites aren't necessarily unsafe (if you don't enter personal information), many users may avoid them because they appear insecure. To avoid this, it is necessary to install an SSL certificate to make the website completely safe to use

HTTPS pages also have a slight advantage when ranking on Google

Apart from the fact that websites will be shown as insecure, there is another big disadvantage if you don't have HTTPS on your website. Google has introduced site security into the Google search engine algorithm by which it positions pages. Websites with the HTTPS protocol will have a slight advantage over HTTP pages in terms of ranking. If your competition doesn't have HTTPS and you do, Google might rank you better on the search engine.

All our clients using our hosting services will be switched to HTTPS.