19 Jul Signs That The HTTPS Apocalypse Is Upon Us
SSL certificates are important. Later this month, Google Chrome is going to be implementing a seemingly small but actually massive change to their user interface. Any website that does not have an SSL certificate — aka, the URL begins with “HTTP” instead of “HTTPS” — is going to be slapped with a label in the address bar. This label will read “Not Secure.”
Naturally, users don’t want to use a site that isn’t secure, much less submit any sensitive information to that site. Bounce rates for HTTP websites will amplify significantly once Chrome makes the conversion. Any website that asks users to submit their names, emails, phone numbers, or credit card information will be in for a rude awakening if they don’t have they haven’t made the switch to HTTPS.
Don’t believe us? Here’s just some of the articles published relating to the topic in the past two months (click on them to read the articles). We aren’t the only ones trying to spread the word.
Search Engine Journal, one of the premier publications for digital marketing professionals, outlines the risks of utilizing an SSL certificate that is self-signed. Issues like false positives and misconfiguration are their chief warnings. We agree with the author here — get your SSL installed by a trusted professional resource.
Another industry leader, Search Engine Land, reports that Bing Ads is also making a push for more HTTPS integration through their Bing Ads platform. Bing is urging users to change the final destination of their ads to an HTTPS landing page. Google’s policy affects all browsers and search engines — even their competitors.
IT Web, a business technology and media company, walks readers through their recommended steps for choosing an SSL certificate. As we have outlined before, SSL certificates can vary in price range, so each business owner or website administrator should do research before choosing the right one. HTTPS migrations aren’t cookie cutter; a little specialization is always required for the best conversion possible.
The Business 2 Community blog shares some of the same sentiments echoed above. With funny prose and urgent attention, the author clues readers in on just how necessary this change is.
Another call to attention, How To Geek brings up the same concepts that we here at GoGet Secure have been echoing for months. Websites need to make a change, and they need to make it fast. The author also notes a common misconception regarding HTTPS and it’s relation to complete website security. While many site admins may think of it as a full-scale solution, HTTPS migration is just one (crucial) step toward fully securing your website.
Straight from the developers themselves. Here is the earliest post Google made on the subject this year, noting how this July would mark the beginning of the end for Google’s tolerance of HTTP websites.
TechRadar goes into detail on which SSL certificates look to be the best on the market. While we always advocate for educated website administrators, we also recommend that you trust a qualified professional to perform the SSL installation and conversion themselves, lest you be bogged down with some of the challenges mentioned in Search Engine Journal’s article.
Business 2 Community has the right mindset. Yet another article published on the topic — we’re not the only ones who think it’s important. In this article the author investigates how the HTTPS change will impact social share counts, something we haven’t yet seen in any of the previous articles.
Another announcement on the impending Apocalypse. Nothing specifically differential about this article, but it warns of the same fate all the same.
Keep scrolling…
The Enterprise Times makes the case that this change is not just about encryption. SSL certificates can boost website SEO rankings, total traffic, and keep users using the shopping cart feature on a website. They’re right, of course.
Technically Philly profiled GoGet Secure, giving us a chance to share our expertise on the SSL certificate subject. As a premier technology industry outlet, we were happy to discuss the importance of the conversion process for business owners everywhere.
The Journal Inquirer provides a detailed analysis of what an SSL certificate is and how it impacts users, from the perspective of a user. This is a great piece to read if you are totally unfamiliar with the concept and the subject at large.
TechRadar reports that ExpressVPN, a virtual private network service, officially made the migration to supporting HTTPS everywhere. Such a change is important to note as ExpressVPN is a big name in VPN marketplace, and their change signals the necessity of the conversion process for everyone.
In a similar report to the Enterprise Times, we see another publication echoing the sentiments of urgency regarding HTTPS conversions.
In a more general article, we see The London Economic remark on some simple tips to improve general SEO performance on a website. One of the best ones? Switching the HTTPS.
Info Security Magazine analyzes what the HTTPS conversion means for you, the Chrome user. Another good article to read for a more user-focused understanding of the concept.
Tapscape takes the general SEO approach like we’ve seen before; check out their article for more details on the search engine benefits a website gets just from making the switch to HTTPS.
Believe us yet?
The HTTPS Apocalypse is no joke. Tons of publications are realizing how this change will impact businesses across industries. Check out some of the big name companies that are still in need of and HTTPS conversion — the change is much needed everywhere you look.