As of October 2017, Chrome will show the “Not Secure” warning for sites that do not have an SSL certificate installed and that have any type of form or search field on the site. Other web browsers are increasing their warnings to website visitors for non-SSL or HTTP sites as well.
What is an SSL Certificate?
Let’s start with some simple definitions. SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer and is a protocol that enables browsers to establish a secure connection between a website or web server.
When you see a website address beginning with HTTPS, which stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure, this means all the data being transferred is encrypted and it is more secure. And an SSL certificate is what makes the standard HTTP more secure. Anytime you see HTTPS, you know that the website is secure and has an SSL certificate.
Does your website need an SSL?
In the past, an SSL certificate was something only businesses with an e-commerce or membership website needed to consider. Now, things have changed and website security is a concern for all consumers. Every website should have an SSL certificate.
Google Chrome isn’t alone in its browser warnings. In its latest update, Mozilla Firefox has a similar browser warning when you visit a website served over HTTP. Firefox has gone a step further. If you happen to land on a website that is asking you for confidential information or to login and there is no SSL certificate, Firefox will show you an additional warning that you shouldn’t fill out the form. With the latest updates to browser warnings, your website will now stand out in a bad way if you don’t have an SSL.
How do you get an SSL for your site?
Don’t try to install an SSL on your own. Only a web developer or web development team familiar with website security should handle the HTTP to HTTPS migration. If this migration isn’t handled correctly, you can experience website downtime or redirect loop errors.
Our TinyFrog maintenance & security team has setup SSL certificates on hundreds of websites and can handle the setup and migration smoothly for you. Contact our team to get an SSL installed on your website today.
