Transition Your Site from HTTP to HTTPS…and Do It ASAP

When it comes to the security of your website, hackers aren’t the only ones to be concerned about. Browsers are checking you out as well. In recent years, Chrome began marking sites that haven’t transitioned to the HTTPS protocol yet as “not secure,” a designation that could easily scare off anyone visiting your website. That’s why you should get an SSL certificate. SSL stands for “Secure Sockets Layer,” which is the standard security technology that creates an encrypted link between a web browser and a web server.

Even if your website doesn’t handle sensitive information such as credit cards, there are many reason to use the HTTPS protocol for your websites. Here are the top 5 reasons make the transition.

From personal information to payments to passwords, visitors to your site are entrusting you to protect a lot of sensitive information. An SSL certificate protects their data through an encrypted connection. Only the web server and your visitor have personal keys to decrypt and recognize the information. This prevents hackers from tampering with or stealing their data.

Ever feel the thrill of exchanging tweets with your favorite celebrity or sports figure only to discover it’s an unauthorized account and you’re actually communicating with a 40-year-old man living in his mom’s basement? Demoralizing as that might be, it’s not nearly as damaging as being duped by a fake website out of thousands of dollars. A proper SSL certificate provides authentication, meaning your visitors can be sure your site is legit and that their sensitive data is going to the right server and not to an imposter looking to steal their information.

If your website handles online payments, you already know about PCI/DSS (Payment Card Industry/Data Security Standard) requirements. Basically, in order to accept credit card information, you must prove that you are in compliance with the PCI standards. Having an SSL certificate is one of the key requirements. Bottom line: no SSL certificate, no online credit card payments for your site.

Another great benefit of an SSL certificate: Your site will get a nice bump in your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) rankings. Google has changed its algorithm in order to give HTTPS sites an advantage over competitors who don’t have certificates. And while the boost isn’t massive, anything that helps your website rise closer to the top of search engine results is a good thing.

In the end, it’s all about trust. If a visitor on your website isn’t confident that it’s secure, they’ll likely take their business elsewhere. Seeing that “S” after the “HTTP” or the padlock icon in the address bar of the browser lets them know you take their privacy seriously, making them far more likely to complete a purchase with you and trust you with their data.

This article is part of a series intended to help businesses operate more efficiently and productively. Contact us today to learn how you can reach those objectives with our suite of communications products and services.