Chrome Will Now Mark Http Pages as “Not Secure”

Google has announced that starting October 2017, Chrome (version 62) will show a “not secure” warning when users enter text in a form on an HTTP page, and for all pages in Incognito mode. The new warning is part of a long-term plan to mark all pages served over HTTP as “not secure”.

So, you might be wondering… what’s the difference between having an HTTP or HTTPS website?

Well, HTTP, also known as HyperText Transfer Protocol, is a request-response protocol in the client-server computing model.  HTTPS, HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure, is similar, but safer for your website users. By using HTTPS, the computers agree on a “code” between them, and then they scramble the messages using that “code” so that no one in between can read them. This keeps your information safe from hackers.

To figure out if your page is HTTP or HTTPS simply look at the URL of your website.

Ex. If you look at the image below, the website of Mrkt360 is served using HTTPS, ensuring it is secure. If it served using HTTP instead, it will show as “Not Secure”.

Having a “Not Secure” notification can cause visitors to stray away from your page, as it appears untrustworthy. You website visitors that may have wanted to fill in their contact information or take a particular action on the web page, may no longer want to. They may feel their private information is not secure.

In order to prevent the “Not secure” notification from appearing when Chrome users visit your site, only collect input data on pages served using HTTPS.

Now you may be wondering, “how do I do that?”. Don’t worry, we have you covered.

Just follow the simple steps below:

1. Contact your hosting provider and purchase SSL.
2. Ask them to install the SSL certificate and then redirect HTTP to HTTPS on the domain level. Please note that there is another option to redirect from website codes but it is not recommended as it will have a negative impact on your website speed and SEO.
3. Contact your SEO provider, such as Mrkt360, and ensure the redirections have been adequately implemented.

If you have not yet made the migration, don’t wait much longer. Contact a specialized digital marketing agency like Mrkt360 for any further questions.