HTTPS: Why you urgently need to switch to secure browsing.

HTTPS: Why you urgently need to switch to secure browsing.

As of 2015, Google has adjusted their crawlers to start prioritising HTTPS pages by default. This means that pages with HTTPS are given higher priority than those with HTTP. In January 2017, a Chrome update meant that input fields that are not using HTTPS were flagged to let users know that they were transmitting data insecurely. But what are HTTP and HTTPS? Why do you need to make the switch?

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What is HTTP?

Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is most commonly used to retrieve HTML text and other site resources. HTTP is used to transfer information over the internet and does not retrieve or store information from previous browsing sessions. HTTP typically offers fast loading times and better display of information. Typically sites that don’t use HTTPS do not host any confidential user information or financial data.

However, HTTP is not secure, and can easily fall victim to cyber attacks.

What is HTTPS? What are the benefits?

HTTPS was previously by companies which were hosting a large amount of confidential user data, like banks and Amazon. HTTPS keeps confidential information encrypted to ensure that data cannot be collected by outside sources. Nowadays, Google is pushing for more sites to make the switch to HTTPS. They are doing this by prioritising secure websites in the interest of making web browsing more secure for everyone.

Benefits of HTTPS

Below are listed some of the main benefits of HTTPS.

Login Not Secure

why do you need ssl https - web design southamptonWith the launch of Chrome 57, users entering login data on sites with HTTP will receive a warning that the site they are using is not secure. This might put potential customers off of making a purchase – no one wants to put their credit card details into a website that they’re being told is insecure.

Increased Rankings

Google announced in 2015 that websites that are equipped with the HTTPS client would receive a boost in the rankings over sites that just feature HTTP. This means that when you make the switch, your site will experience a slight boost in the rankings.

Increased Security

HTTPS protects your customers’ personal and financial information from falling into the hands of a third party. So-called “man-in-the-middle attacks” refer to when information is intercepted by a third party when it is sent between the user and the website. While HTTP websites can fall victim to these attacks, HTTPS websites cannot.

Mobile Usage

Due to Google’s mobile index, it is likely that switching to HTTPS will have a larger effect on mobile browsing than on desktop. When Google converts web pages to AMP, it requires them to be secure. This means that only using HTTP could have a severely detrimental effect on your place in the mobile rankings.

Browse Faster

When HTTPS is enabled, your website’s users are likely to experience slightly faster browsing speeds as well as added security. A faster website is a definite bonus when trying to drive traffic towards your website.

How To Switch?

To make the switch from HTTP, why not get in touch with our web design experts? Our team have had plenty of experience managing this switching process and will ensure that your site is switched quickly and painlessly.

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