How Google's move towards a more secure web affects your website
No one wants to have their website hacked or to compromise their website visitors’ data. Google's move towards "HTTPS everywhere" means that websites using HTTP will have security warnings displayed on Chrome and negative impacts on Google search ranking.
Key points
- In October 2017, Google will begin displaying “Not secure” in the address bar when users enter text in a form on an HTTP website page and for all HTTP pages in Incognito mode.
- Eventually, Google plans to include a red not secure warning on all HTTP pages in Chrome.
- HTTPS will increasingly be considered the standard for websites and business owners should consider options for how to upgrade their websites from HTTP to HTTPS sooner rather than later to avoid any potential loss of business or customer trust because of browser security warnings.
Google moves to flag websites using HTTP
In February 2017, Google reported that about half of the Chrome desktop pages load with HTTPS and half load with HTTP. This is up from about 30% of sites using HTTPS in June 2016. In October, Google will begin displaying “Not secure” in the address bar when users enter text in a form on an HTTP website page and for all HTTP pages in Incognito mode. Google’s argument is that the neutral information indicator (an encircled ‘i’) does not reflect the lack of security for HTTP connections.
Security warnings on HTTP pages in Google Chrome starting in October 2017.
When you look at a website that uses HTTP, third party users can modify the site before you see it because it is not a secure connection. Using HTTP prevents “man in the middle” attacks whereby hackers can gain access to website accounts or sensitive information or modify websites to inject unwanted and potentially harmful malware or advertisements.
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Eventually, Google plans to include a red not secure warning on all HTTP pages in Chrome. No timeline has been released for this transition and it could take several years. These changes will be likely rolled out to the Incognito mode before regular browsing mode because of the increased security demanded by Incognito mode users.
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Eventual treatment of HTTP pages in Chrome.
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How this impacts your business
It takes time to build brand loyalty and consumer trust. For some customers, browser security warnings could signal an unreliable or untrustworthy brand. That is a high risk for a business that relies heavily on website engagement and lead generation through their website.
There is also a potential impact on your Google search ranking. Since 2014 when Google announced its move towards “HTTPS everywhere” and using HTTPS as a ranking signal, the number of HTTPS pages on the first page of a Google search increased from about 5% to 30%. That could be simply the result of more pages using HTTPS but it could also be related to how Google is using the HTTPS in its ranking algorithm.
There is also a potential impact on your Google search ranking. Since 2014 when Google announced its move towards “HTTPS everywhere” and using HTTPS as a ranking signal, the number of HTTPS pages on the first page of a Google search increased from about 5% to 30%. That could be simply the result of more pages using HTTPS but it could also be related to how Google is using the HTTPS in its ranking algorithm.
Next steps
More and more websites will continue to make the transition to HTTPS as Chrome and other web browsers begin to display security warnings for HTTP sites and search engines begin to penalize HTTP sites. For existing sites, the move to HTTPS needs to be handled carefully. Even large companies with dedicated IT teams have run into issues (e.g., read the case of WIRED Magazine). The biggest challenge is ensure that all content on every page is HTTPS. This means that all images, Javascript files and links to external websites must be accessed via HTTPS. External links to your website will also need to be changed from HTTP to HTTPS (e.g., all of your Google Ad links).
The upgrade needs to managed carefully to limit the amount of disruption it will cause to your website. Business owners should consider options for how to upgrade their websites from HTTP to HTTPS sooner rather than later to avoid having to rush into the upgrade or any potential loss of business or customer trust because of browser security warnings.
The upgrade needs to managed carefully to limit the amount of disruption it will cause to your website. Business owners should consider options for how to upgrade their websites from HTTP to HTTPS sooner rather than later to avoid having to rush into the upgrade or any potential loss of business or customer trust because of browser security warnings.