Why Switching to Https in 2017 Needs to Be Top of Your List

What is HTTPS

Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is the secure version of HTTP, the protocol over which data is sent between user browser and the website that users are connected to. The 'S' at the end of HTTPS stands for 'Secure'. It means all communications between user browser and the website are encrypted. HTTPS uses an additional protocol, SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) in order to ensure that information is moved safely online.

It is highly important to shift the website from HTTP to HTTPS. Not only HTTPS will make website more secure, but it could also help improve website’s organic search rankings.

Benefits of Switching to HTTPS

Here you can find the a few major benefits of shifting to HTTPS: 

1. Data integrity: It makes website secure shifting to HTTPS is guaranteeing that the information passed between the user and the server can neither be stolen nor intercepted.

2. Encryption: Encrypting the exchanged data to keep it secure from eavesdroppers. That means that while the user is browsing a website, nobody can “listen” to their conversations, track their activities across multiple pages or steal their information

3. Good for SEO – In 2014, Google announced that it was beginning to use HTTPS as a ranking signal. According to Google itself it is a ranking factor which will help website to improve its organic visibility in Google SERP.

Read this article for more details, Https is Good for SEO

4. It will help to improve overall user experience

5. SSL Builds Trust and Credibility

Why Website Must Shift from HTTP to HTTPS in 2017

1. Last month in August 2017, the news came that Google’s Chrome browser will begin displaying a “Not Secure” warning message for unencrypted (HTTP) web pages. This message will be displayed in the address bar of websites not running the HTTPS protocol.

And now Google has started showing the warning message for unencrypted (HTTP) web pages in Chrome browser.

To find out more about how to check if a site's connection is secure or not and what are security symbol means on web browsers please visit here: 

2. Google has started sending warning mails to website owner in Google search console, that "Chrome will show security warnings" for non https website. If You didn't get warning mail yet soon will be.

3. Mozilla Firefox browser has also started showing the same warning message “connection is secure or not” in address bar. Mozilla Firefox browser has also changed its security user experience in this year.

Read this article by Security/Privacy Engineer and Tech Lead at Mozilla:

https://blog.mozilla.org/security/2017/01/20/communicating-the-dangers-of-non-secure-http/

3.1 Up until now, Firefox has used a green lock icon in the address bar to indicate when a website is using HTTPS and a neutral indicator (no lock icon) when a website is not using HTTPS. The green lock icon indicates that the site is using a secure connection.

3.2 In upcoming releases, Firefox shows an in-context warning message when a user clicks into an input field on a page that doesn’t use HTTPS.

Conclusion

Eventually, Major Browsers have started showing Not Secure warning for all pages served over HTTP, regardless of whether or not the page contains sensitive input fields.

HTTPS is undoubtedly essential, and many websites have already made the shift. So it is highly recommended to shift to HTTPS for the website owners.