Are Google’s SSL Changes Hurting your Website?

Google wants a secure internet, and part of the push for this is SSL on all trusted sites. If you don’t have SSL (Https) Google could already be penalising your website in their search results, and even warning users who click on your site that it is not secure. This could be damaging your business, big time!

What is SSL/HTTPS and how do I tell if my site has it?

SSL stands for Secure Socket Layer and is the protocol used to encrypt communications.

HTTPS is Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure is used to keep data transferred over the internet safe and secure.

The simple way to check if your site (or any site) is running on https is to look at the address bar. Depending on your browser you should see a padlock, and the start of the website address will be https:// like the image below.

This shows that your website is secure and won’t be penalised by Google!

If however you see an open padlock, with http:// then you are not secure, and some browsers like Chrome will give a warning when those sites are accessed.

When will google penalise my site for being unsecure?

Google started rolling out the changes in October 2017. As with all things Google you may not notice anything at first, then boom, all of your traffic is gone and your site has fallen down the rankings. Google will no longer deem your website to be legitimate and therefore does not want to suggest you to its users. That spells bad news for any business!

How can I fix my site’s SSL?

All new websites from DLZ Design come with https as standard. There are lots of different certificates available and depending on the nature of your business we may recommend an upgrade.

If you have an existing website and want us to help with your SSL, get in touch today and we will offer a quotation. The cost is reasonable and should be implemented asap to avoid undoing all of that hard work you have done on your website’s SEO!