How to Get Secure Before Google Announces Your Vulnerabilities to the Public

It’s no secret that Google is putting forth a herculean effort to ensure that populated websites are secure for site visitors. Specifically, Google has influenced websites to migrate to HTTPS to promote widespread online security among Internet users. Initially, Google has made it an option for websites to switch from HTTP to HTTPS.

IMPORTANT!, Google is going to mandate all webmasters to switch to HTTPS, effectively beginning in July 2018. For webmasters and website owners, this edict from the Internet giant is a serious requirement that could have severe implications for those that choose to ignore it.

Google will mark any website that doesn’t migrate to HTTPS as unsecuredin the upcoming release of Chrome 68. This marking will become visible to any Internet user trying to gain access to your website, which can ultimately give your business an unprofessional vibe. Understandably, no one wants their website to be blacklisted by Google.

However, the process of securing your website with a HTTPS label can be extensive. To familiarize you with the concept, here is how you can get your website secure before Google announces your vulnerabilities to the public.

Why is This Happening?

Google has actually been trying for years to entice webmasters to switch to HTTPS. It appears now that Google has gotten serious in this pursuit, but there is a reason for this. In July, Google will make some huge improvements to Chrome 68. It has been announced that Google will be incentivizing websites with higher web rankings for having fast page speeds.

Accordingly, Google has also taken the time to fix a concurrent search engine issue. That problem happens to be unsecured websites. The immense threat that an unsecure website can harbor is the high probability that transmitted and stored personal information can be leaked and stolen. Basically, HTTPS websites utilize SSL, which stands for Secure Socket Layer. This safety technology ensures that your personal information is encrypted between the web server and a browser.

In previous years, Google gave warning to Internet users who tried to access a HTTP website. In order to promote Internet safety and accountability, Google is now requiring all websites to switch to HTTPS. The threat of hackers who steal the sensitive data of Internet users is far too great for Google to ignore. Therefore, in order to optimize your search engine optimization, build credibility with your website visitors, and establish a professional online, switching to HTTPS is an ideal move for your business. Fortunately, the process of doing so isn’t that difficult and only requires some in-depth knowledge of the subject.

How to Check for HTTPS

On Google Chrome, you can easily identify websites that have a HTTPS label by checking the search engine bar at the top of the Chrome application.

In the previous Google Chrome versions, you could hardly distinguish the difference between secure websites and unsecured websites. With the newest Google Chrome update, this is now possible.

With Google’s new HTTPS mandate, website visitors will easily be able to detect if your website is secure or not. Therefore, it makes sense to switch to HTTPS before July, mainly because Google will expose your business as dangerous to website visitors.

How to Switch Your Website to HTTPS

In order to switch your website to HTTPS, you will first have to purchase a SSL certificate for your website. This certificate will basically flag your website as secure for visitors. Your SSL certificate will encrypt any important data being transferred over a server, protecting sensitive information such as credit card information, passwords, and even social security numbers.

You can purchase an SSL certificates from a number of big-name providers such as Symantec, DigiCert, and GeoTrust. You can also purchase a SSL certificate from third-party providers as well, such as Comodo and Namecheap.

Have it purchased and installed by a Security Support Professional at PX Media. If done incorrectly you actually might loose access to your site or it may go down completely.

Regardless of where you purchase your SSL certificate, be mindful not to obtain a “free certificate” or create one yourself. Doing so could lead to a website error every time a visitor attempts to access your website.

If you purchase a legitimate SSL certificate, simply install this certificate on your website host’s account. Once this is done, all you have to do is change your links from HTTP to HTTPS and set up 301 redirects to HTTPS to ensure that visitors will always access your secured website.

If you have a WordPress site it will require you to install a SSL plugin. Your host may have problems with this or may not even allow you to install. Quality hosting is a must so contact PX Media and we will help get your protected.

What Are the Benefits of SSL

SSL Certification may now be mandatory. However, this doesn’t mean that the safety feature doesn’t have its perks. As a matter of fact, Google implied years ago that secure websites could receive a small rankings boost. Rightfully so, having a SSL certificate installed will allow visitors to trust your website and your services.

By not having a SSL certificate, you could be exposing your visitors to hackers who diligently steal personal information from websites. Do you truly want to put your visitors at this type of risk? If Google is requiring users to switch from HTTP to HTTPS, your website’s ranking could substantially increase and replace unsecure websites

Overall, the requirement of HTTPS is a win-win situation for both websites and visitors. While your visitors are being protected by your website, your ranking will increase over your competitors who may lack this security.

In light of Google’s new HTTPS requirement, webmasters will now have to prioritize the online safety of their visitors. While many people may see this regulation as an inconvenience, the sudden topic of data breaches among popular internet services is starting to influence websites to make a concentrated effort to boosting the security and privacy of their visitors.

Nonetheless, obtaining an SSL certificate and securing your website will not only keep you in accordance to Google’s upcoming mandate, but it also has some positive benefits that can impact your website ranking.

If you require more information about a SSL certificate and would like to learn more about how PX Media can create a secure website for you, please call us today to speak to our friendly support staff.

Content is originally published at https://www.pxmediainc.com/how-to-get-secure-before-google-announces-your-vulnerabilities-to-the-public/