Is your website protected with HTTPS?

Is Chrome or Firefox telling your visitors that your website is not secure?

Since 2018, websites without an SSL Certificate now display a "Not Secure" warning in the address bar, which tends to scare off potential clients and customers.

Why do modern browsers display the 'not secure' message?

The reason is that unsecured websites, not protected by an SSL Certificate, pose a significant security threat to online visitors. 

What are the risks of unsecured websites? 

Webpages can be hijacked to ensnare unsuspecting visitors, redirecting traffic to webpages designed to elicit private information.

Worse, webpages can be used to launch attacks that can compromise your computer security, exposing you to fraud and identity theft.

Compromised webpages may be used to access your stored web passwords, spy on your online activity and other cyber crimes such as credit card and online banking fraud.

So yes, it is vitally important to make sure your website is properly secured  with an SSL certificate.

What is SSL, and a SSL Certificate?

SSL is the backbone of our secure Internet and it protects your sensitive information as it travels across the world's computer networks. SSL is essential for protecting your website, even if it doesn't handle sensitive information like credit cards.

How does SSL protect us?

SSL encrypts sensitive information - SSL keeps sensitive information encrypted so that only the intended recipient can access it.

Your data, including requests and personal information passes from server to server before it gets to its intended destination. 

Any computer on this journey can see your credit card numbers, usernames and passwords unless it is encrypted and therefore unreadable.

SSL provides authentication - A SSL certificate authenticates that you are sending information to the correct server and not to an imposter trying to steal your information. It is also important you get your SSL certificate from a trusted source.

Web browser manufactures verify that SSL providers are following specific practices and have been audited by a third-party using a standard such as WebTrust.

SSL displays trust signals to website visitors - when the browser encounters a website secured with a trustworthy SSL Certificate provider, it provides visual cues, such as a lock icon or a green bar, to make sure visitors know when their connection is secured. 

Mixed HTTP & HTTPS Content Blocked

Google is no longer prepared to put consumers at risk, and is going to be shutting down mixed website content in December 2019.  Mixed content means content from both HTTP and HTTPS sources. By default Google will attempt to show the HTTP content on a webpage via HTTPS. If this is not successful, then the HTTP content will be blocked.

SSL is also small ranking factor

There is a also a benefit to making your site more secure, and that is an increased ranking factor for your content. Obviously as more website get SSL this will make less of a difference. It will favour early adopters though.

Website Security no longer a nice to have

Website cybersecurity is a now a necessity, and ITM is encouraging all our website design and website hosting clients to install a SSL Certificate on their websites as soon as possible.

ITM Website Design - SSL Certificates

The costs are comparatively low compared to a few years ago and vary according to the type of SSL Certificate required.

Get a quote to install your SSL Certificate.