What you need to know about Google Chrome warnings
If you use Chrome, you might have noticed more prompts warning you about a page’s security. What does it mean for your business website, and what do you need to know about these Google Chrome warnings?
Secure vs. not secure
In July, with the launch of the latest Chrome browser update, Google now labels unencrypted sites as “not secure” prominently in the address bar. Secure sites have a green lock icon. Unsecure sites have a gray “not secure” label in a relatively large font.
In essence, these unsecure sites don’t use the https encryption protocol. The Chrome label is intended to protect users from sharing data on unsecured sites.
WIRED explains:
“It’s a warning worth heeding. Under an unencrypted HTTP connection, any information that you send across the web can be intercepted by a hacker or other bad actor. In extreme cases, like in what are called man-in-the-middle attacks, someone could pose as a destination site—tricking you into handing over your credentials, credit card info, or other sensitive information.”
As a user, you might think twice about sharing any data on an unsecure site, but especially credit card data. If you are browsing in a public space, such as a coffee shop or a library, an unsecure site could make your browser history visible to hackers. It could also leave you open to ads and even malware.
What it means for small businesses
As a business, you could be losing potential customers nervous about sharing data on your unsecured site. If you accept credit card payments, registrations or other data on your site, it pays to consider using the https certificate.
Even if you don’t request personal information on your site, the “not secure” flag could make users think twice about clicking.
So, while you don’t necessarily need the security certificate, it could help you retain potential buyers.
In addition, Firefox has plans to use similar warnings in the near future. Nearly 76 percent of U.S. Internet users use either Chrome or Firefox, so the warnings will be visible to the vast majority of people.
In addition, your website could rank higher on search engines if you have a secure site (designated by the hypertext transfer protocol secure, or https:// prefix). Current data shows a moderate bump in search engine rankings for secure sites. However, experts counsel that businesses should not switch to https if SEO is the only concern.
More than 60 percent of today’s websites have suboptimal https implementation, according to Neil Patel, and he adds that “HTTPS isn’t a huge ranking factor for search engines right now, although it might have a huge impact later.”
What to do
If you work with us, we can help you obtain the necessary https security certificates and apply them to your site.
You will need an SSL certificate, which stands for secure sockets layer. The certificate creates a secure connection between the user and the site through a two-part encryption protocol.
You can obtain SSL certificates through sites like Let’s Encrypt, which is an open source provider that, according to the site, is “…trusted by all major root programs, including Microsoft, Google, Apple, Mozilla, Oracle and Blackberry.
Many web hosting providers now also offer SSL certificates as part of their monthly packages.
If you have any questions about website security, encryption and more, please contact us. We will help our clients make a simple and smooth transition to secure websites.