Written by: Jay H.
4.66 billion users are active internet users, and that number grows daily. We use the web to stay connected to loved ones, shop, browse social media, and find information. However, many internet users often do not consider one thing when browsing: checking the address bar for the “HTTPS” prefix.
What is HTTPS?
HTTPS stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure. According to Google, it is an “internet communication protocol that protects data integrity and confidentiality between the user’s computer and the site.” So, what does this mean?
Without HTTPS, unauthorized third parties can intercept data transferred between computers and the website. This means that malefactors could see your passwords, banking information, or other sensitive information transmitted across HTTP.
Note the difference between HTTP and HTTPS: HTTP does not encrypt transferred data at all. Any savvy bad actor can capture the transmitted data as plain text.
On the contrary, HTTPS uses Transport Layer Security (TLS), also known as Secure Socket Layer (SSL). This encrypts the communication done between the site and the user’s computer.
Why Should I Use HTTPS?
Security
For the web owner, the most obvious reason to use HTTPS is to secure your website. Without it, transmitted data is insecure and at risk of being exposed by hackers.
Trust
Another concern for web owners is to gain the trust of the user. As more and more of the population become tech-savvy, they will trust websites without HTTPS less and less. Google Chrome and other web browsers have also started penalizing for lack of HTTPS, displaying a broken padlock indicating the website is not secure in the address bar, and warning visitors not to input sensitive information on the website.
SEO
Google uses HTTPS encryption as one of its many ranking signals for website SEO. That means that your website may rank lower than if it was to have HTTPS encryption. As online security continues to grow as a concern, you may find further penalization for lacking the proper encryption.
Mobile
Using HTTPS also helps with making your website mobile-friendly. Google’s Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) speeds up loading times for mobile devices – however, the website must be served by HTTPS.
How Do I Encrypt My Website With HTTPS?
To encrypt your website with HTTPS, you must obtain a security certificate issued by a certificate authority. For more information about transferring your website to HTTPS, please contact us.
HTTPS Makes Your Website Safe
Given that HTTPS keeps your visitors’ data safe, gains users’ trust, helps with SEO, and improves mobile-friendliness, it’s easy to see why HTTPS is so important. In the future, site owners will likely have little option but to switch to HTTPS, so stay ahead of the curve and gain the advantages of securing your website with HTTPS.
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