HTTP vs HTTPS: Why You Need to Make the Switch Now
Have you noticed a sneaky ‘s’ appearing in some of your URLs? Perhaps the sites you frequent now begin with HTTPS://
Trust us when we say that is a good sign. It indicates that the site has obtained an SSL certificate and that the sensitive information you are transmitting or submitting is protected.
Regardless of what side of the fence you are sitting on – as a business owner or customer – a good online experience typically involves a trusted third party and data encryption.
State Of Google Affairs
Back in 2017 Google released significant updates to their chrome browser. These changes included conditions that any page that contains a form, credit card capture or password gateway but was not SSL enabled would be marked as unsecure.
With Chrome owning a significant share of the browser market the impact felt for online businesses was almost immediate. According to research conducted during this time up to 85% of people would cease browsing if a site was not marked as secure.
It may also come as no surprise that Google favours sites that are trusted and certified. Some of the benefits of having a secure website include:
1. Boost Your Ranking
This one is undisputed. Google has confirmed that there is a clear SEO advantage for sites operating with HTTPS. The browser treats your SSL certificate as a trust signal and ranks your site accordingly.
2. Improve Engagement Rate
If you are looking to collect sensitive customer information you will reduce your drop off rate and customer experience with an HTTPS site. Give your browsers peace of mind and remove any pesky warning pop-ups that show up on unsecured sites.
3. Improved Security and Privacy
By making the switch to HTTPS your site is protected from third party tampering and provides a more secure experience for customers. All communication, browsing history and credit card numbers are encrypted.
Customer Payoff For Peace Of Mind
Although obtaining that extra level of security is a job best suited for web development experts; rest assured going to the trouble of protecting your customers data will improve your SEO, boost your brand visibility and engagement rates.
In the advent of data breaches and heightened privacy concerns for online users it has become clear that customers will settle for nothing less than a secure site. This evolution will continue to impact businesses that haven’t made the switch from HTTP to HTTPS.
