End of the line for non SSL sites

If you use Google Search Console and haven’t yet made the leap to SSL, you’ve probably received a warning email from the service by now. The warning emails have been reported widely in tech circles:

• Security warning Chrome 62: SSL certificate for URLs without text/input fields?
• Google emails warnings to webmasters that Chrome will mark http pages with forms as ‘not secure’
• Chrome Version 62 to Show Security Warnings on HTTP Pages Starting in October 2017

If your site asks users to enter any form of data and doesn’t use https:// – your site users will start to get insecure warnings starting October 2017. Note, this isn’t just websites that ask for a credit card, this is for any form of data entry, even as simple as a website search field.

What’s more, the long term goal of the Chrome team is to flag every http:// website as insecure. Simply put, if you’re not using SSL, eventually the most popular browser on the planet will tell your site visitors that your website is insecure. As web users become ever more knowledgeable and concerned with security this will undoubtedly mean increased bounce rates and smaller and smaller site visitors for http:// only sites.

Moz.com recently reported on the adoption rate of SSL; with half of all sites on page one of Google searchs now showing as https:// ready. Moreover the data also shows the rapid growth of SSL too – rising from <30% of sites >50% within just one year.

Remember, setting up SSL via Let’s Encyrpt is 100% free via 34SP.com. See more from our blog post last month.