Chrome 62, SSL Certificates, and What It Means For You

Starting in October 2017, Google Chrome is introducing a new update (Chrome 62) that is cracking down on web pages that are not secure. Web pages that accept user input and have URLs that begin with “HTTP” instead of “HTTPS” will generate a “Not Secure” warning in the address bar.

That little “S” can make all the difference for a user to continue with you online. The “S” in HTTPS stands for secure and means that your data is encrypted with the help of an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) Certificate.

Why the change?

Google’s end goal is to show a “Not secure” warning for all HTTP pages and encourage the adoption of more secure pages.

~ 9to5google.com

In plain English, Google hopes to make browsing the internet more secure for everyone, and warning visitors about unsecured web pages is how they’re throwing their weight behind that goal.

Why should I care?

First, this new update will affect all websites’ traffic, not just Chrome users. In fact, Google says that they’ve already seen a 23% reduction in traffic to unsecured HTTP pages. Why? The simple answer is trust. If you were to enter your credit card or personal information on a website that gave you a “Not Secure” warning, what are the chances you’d still send that information over the internet and continue to do business with that company?

The reality is that using a security certificate to cover all of your site (not just the pages where personal information is exchanged) will not only increase your customers’ trust in your company, but it will also improve your conversion rates and give your rankings a boost as Google will favor secure sites and rank them higher.

So, What Do I Do if My Site is Not Secure?

The answer: acquire an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) Certificate. Having that certificate means you have private communication between your customer and your website. The SSL Certificate is a small data file that is installed on your web server and activates the padlock and https protocol that your users are looking for. Ultimately, it authenticates the identity of your website and encrypts the data that’s being transferred. But don’t worry about the technical details, because…

We’ll Provide the SSL Certificate For You

Good news! You may recall our recent flexible pricing blog post where we offered to manage your SSL Certificate for a low, monthly payment. But, with Google’s recent Chrome 62 update having so much impact in the future, we no longer view SSL Certificates as simply a nice option to boost your SEO impact. Instead, we see the use of SSL Certificate as a requirement of doing business online, and that means we’re going to include an SSL Certificate as part of the Base Website we offer at no additional monthly charge to you.

What Do I Need to Do Now?

If you’re not using Google Analytics or Google Search Console with your website, we will switch your website to a custom SSL automatically and you won’t need to do anything. If you’re using Google Analytics or Google Search Console, contact us to request your custom SSL and to find out the settings changes that will need to be made in those applications.

If you have any questions or concerns about how Chrome 62 or SSL Certificates will affect your website from Marketing Ideas For Printers, don’t hesitate to give us a call at (800) 736-0688 or (701) 241-9204.