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So it is here, the HTTP and HTTPS update, it was announced last year, and now it is here. Yet, the question remains will it impact you?

What is it exactly?

Well, according to Google it is an update that only affects Google Chrome, the browser, and makes the site show users that a page they are visiting is either secure or not. This update actually happened back in January 2017 with the version Chrome 56. Basically, the update that shows the following to visitors to your site.

As you can see from the images above, the first image shows a basic webpage, that just has content on it. The next image has a login form which when filled out will send information across the web unsecured, which is what Google wants to reduce, hence the update. So what you are looking at in the images are the “i” and the “i  Not Secure” before the ‘example.com’. Most of the people will not see this but as people become more aware of security on the web this will become a factor. The major impacts are any kind of forms and payments. If you have a contact form on your site or a payment page, you will need to look at an SSL certificate. While most financial institutions require some sort of SSL (Secure Socket Layers) Certificate, some do not, and if you are or thinking about it, it is a factor that I would strongly recommend for a number of reasons.

1. Your customer’s privacy and security – When they enter the payment details they are encrypted (They are basically changed into a code so no one can peak at their numbers) and then sent across the web to another server which can unencrypt the code and then secured on the new server. It is this process that makes it secure. If you do not have an SSL certificate, then the numbers are just sent across and anyone, who intercepts the package, can open it and read the numbers. This also goes for login forms, to access a membership site.
2. Your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – while this is not officially announced it is a growing acceptance that SSL certificates help your ranking. Most sites that are on the first page of Google have “https” on them.
3. Stop your site from being hacked – while this is not a huge impact on you now, but if someone sees your site as a potential target, it is easier to hack if you do not have an SSL certificate.

So, in short, I would strongly recommend you think about an SSL. Right now you can get an SSL for $99 which is fully installed and valid for one year. It also comes with full support. Contact us now.
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