Looking around the internet and coming across a lot of websites here in Townsville, its quite easy to notice that a lot of websites are still using the unprotected http over https.
HTTP stands for Hyper Text Transfer Protocol and is the way in which data is sent over the internet and between your web browser and website. This data is sent unprotected and open to computers, machines and people intercepting and seeing.
HTTPS is the must more secure way of HTTP.
If you want to know which version your website is using, have a look at your address bar and you should see which one it is.
If you are still using http; you might not care if people see what is happening on your site and what your users are doing, but the people, including your customers and audience might!
Example: If I am a user of your website and I send you a private confidential message via a form on your site, if your page is not using HTTPS, it can be seen and stored by other users your network and over the internet.
If I am noticing a lot of sites without https, so are the bad guys.
Benefits of HTTP SSL
When we take or basic HTTP and a SSL Certificate (Secure Sockets Layer) we get HTTPS.
Security
If you have read the first part of this post you should understand by now that using SSL certificates for your website will make them a lot more secure.
Not just for your customers using your website, but for you as well.
If you are are login in to your website to make changes, or updates, your your username and password could very easily be broadcasting across networks in plain text for other people to see.
If they have your admin password for your site, they could do anything with it.
Speed
Sites with HTTPS are faster.
The way HTTPS is designed allows it to be much faster than traditional older http protocol.
Web browsers are not built to enhance the speed of SSL enables websites, so if you are using a modern browser which most people are, they should be able to see a performance increase increase using https.
Google Ranking
Google wants everything on the internet to be better, more secure and faster.
When someone searches on a Google website, Google wants that person to have the very best experience possible.
This use to be by giving the searcher the most relevant results. They have since advanced on that and now also want to give their users the most secure results.
Not always, but increasing Google are giving higher better search results to web sites which are more secure and are using the HTTPS protocol on their website.
You look more professional
If your customers are searching for you on the internet; it’s fair to say they are internet savvy.
People notice if the website they are using is secure or not. If you are not secure, not only are they more apprehensive about issuing their important details with you, it also doesn’t look professional and you risk loosing credibility.
If your site does not have HTTPS Townsville Nerds can help
We love this stuff. If you would like to modernise your website or simply make it more secure please contact us.
If you have the relevant information it is usually and quick and easy job.
Information we might need are passwords, web site host, platform etc.
It really depends on who your website was developed but most of the time it isn’t a big job to add SSL certificates to your existing website.
