With online security being more important than ever before, the addition of an HTTPS (HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure) certificate to a website will help to secure the connection to the website for your visitors.
HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) is an internet communication protocol that protects the integrity and confidentiality of data between the user’s computer and the site. Users expect a secure and private online experience when using a website. We encourage you to adopt HTTPS in order to protect your users’ connections to your website, regardless of the content on the site.
Browsers nearly always provide an indication of whether the website you are browsing is secure or not. Just take a look at the address bar in the browser to see what we mean. Is the lock in the top left-hand corner locked or unlocked? Does it say secure or not secure? The answer to these questions will tell you whether an HTTPS certificate is in place.
Taking A Closer Look
Data sent using HTTPS is secured via Transport Layer Security protocol (TLS), which provides three key layers of protection:
- 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.
- Data integrity—data cannot be modified or corrupted during transfer, intentionally or otherwise, without being detected.
- Authentication—proves that your users communicate with the intended website. It protects against man-in-the-middle attacks and builds user trust, which translates into other business benefits.
How Does It Help Though?
Everyone has the right to visit a legal website without worrying about what will happen to their details should a transaction take place.
Google has identified a number of reasons why the switch to HTTPS is beneficial for web users and webmasters alike. These include the fact that data sent using HTTPS is secured via Transport Layer Security protocol (TLS), which provides three key layers of protection:
- 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.
- Data integrity. Data cannot be modified or corrupted during transfer, intentionally or otherwise, without being detected.
- Authentication. Proves that your users communicate with the intended website. It protects against man-in-the-middle attacks and builds user trust, which translates into other business benefits.
Are There Any SEO Benefits?
Previously, Google announced that HTTPS would be added to their ranking algorithm. Whilst very unlikely to be the difference between a page 10 ranking and a page 1 ranking, building trust with customers is a key part of any SEO campaign and therefore should definitely be considered.
With the majority of browsers making it clear if a website is ‘not secure’, without the inclusion of an HTTPS for your website, you are running the risk of scaring away visitors.
Contact Us
Would like to find out more about making the switch to an HTTPS connection by adding an SSL certificate to your website? Give the Footprint Web Design team a call on Tel. No. 01883 372488 today.
