As of July 2018 with the release of Google’s Chrome 68 web browser, website visitors arriving on a website that is not encrypted with SSL (Secure Socket Layer) will be shown a warning that the site is “not secure.”
What does this mean for your business?
Chrome’s flagging of your website as “insecure” can have a significant impact on your customer’s trust and perception of your company as well as negatively influence your search engine rankings.
Google already prioritizes websites that encrypt their data with SSL with higher search engine placement. So not only will your website appear lower in search engine rankings without SSL but potential customers that actually find your site are less likely to fill out a contact form or sign up for your email list when a “not secure” warning is shown.
What is SSL?
SSL is a security protocol that encrypts all data sent and received from a website to ensure it is private and hasn’t been intercepted or changed by an outside party. In the past, it was primarily used for eCommerce sites and other websites that collected and exchanged highly-sensitive personal or financial information.
This is the latest change from Google to ensure all websites are secure. It is important to note that SSL encrypts data but it cannot and doesn’t detect, remove or protect against malware, DDoS attacks or other website vulnerabilities.
As the internet continuously evolves and strives to increase security measures, it is only a matter of time that other popular web browsers such as Firefox, Safari and Internet Explorer will follow their lead.
What can you do?
An encrypted internet is safer for everyone. New York Design Studio can secure your website with SSL so you are not negatively impacted by this security update.
