Back in September last year, Google announced that from Chrome v56 (which was released at the end of January) they would begin displaying the security of the connection in the address bar of Chrome on pages that display a password and/or a credit card field. This is the beginning of a long-term plan to mark all HTTP pages non-secure.
Why does Google want you to use HTTPS?
There are 3 reasons that Google is encouraging website owners to move to HTTPS.
Authentication
Are you talking to who you think you’re talking to? For example you want to know that when you go to do your online banking, the website you are on is actually your bank’s website!
Data Integrity
Is the data you are providing safe? Can anyone tamper with it?
Encryption
Can anyone else read the data that you are sending from your browser to the website server?
What is HTTPS?
HTTPS is the secure version of HTTP, the protocol over which data is sent between your browser and the website that you are connected to. It means all communication between your browser and the website are encrypted so that no one can listen in or tamper with the data.
What is SSL?
SSL is a standard security technology for establishing an encrypted link between a server and a client – for example the web server where your website files are hosted and the browers you use to view the website on your computer.
How do you go about migrating your website to HTTPS?
Migrating your site to HTTPS is not a matter of if … but when. Eventually, Google will require all sites to use HTTPS if they want to get found by their search engine.
In order to to convert your site to HTTPS you will need to follow the steps below:
- Arrange an SSL Certificate. For most small businesses a free Lets Encrypt SSL certificate will meet your needs.
- Install your SSL certificate on your server.
- Change all the links on your site from HTTP to HTTPS including any scripts or files your site calls on.
- Create a 301 redirect so anyone typing in your HTTP url will be seamlessly redirected to your new HTTPS site and your hard won search engine ranking won’t suffer.
- Update Google Analytics & Search Console
- Update any external links to your site that you have access to – such as social media profiles, directory listings, online ads, canned reponses, transactional emails …
If you would rather not do this yourself, I can help you make the transition from HTTP to HTTPS, so that your site is migrated safely, securely and with the minimum of impact. Just click on the button below to send me an email to get started.
