Google's Latest update aims to change security measures and this is how it will affect your website

Google has updated their Chrome Web Browser that will let the visitors know that they have landed on a website that is not secure or not. This update will create more awareness among the website owners that need to implement strong security measures. Looking at these changes there will be also other web browsers that will implement these measures to eliminate and minimize the online threats. 

Online threats are increasing and the concern for security is been shooting skyrocket so Google has taken the first step in eliminating this. But with such changes that are being implemented your website will be affected if you don’t take action over this matter soon. 

Customers are now being aware of the importance of security measure and they won’t be comfortable doing a transaction or even just simply browsing on a website that is not secure. Google has prioritized this move to a certain level by determining the website’s search engine ranking depending on the security measure of the website. This means that no matter how great your website or the content is but if it doesn't have any security measure such as SSL certificate or HTTPS then your SEO ranking will be affected. Your website will be at the bottom and this will decrease the number of users that you receive. Basically, this will disrupt your online business set up and your customer base.

What will happen with the new update by Google?

The Google Chrome browser version 68 will release in July and with this, the users will come to know that the website that they are visiting is not encrypting the traffic by showing ‘Not Secure’ message on the URL tab. 

When the customer comes across such website that is not secure then they are most likely to avoid entering such website to make any purchases or signing up for a newsletter. The customers now also look out for another sign to check the website authenticity by looking at the URL tab to see whether there is HTTPS at the start of the URL or no. The website that is secured with https will be seen as (https://www.hostindia.net/) and if it is not secured with https then it will be simply written www.hostindia.net. The other downfall of not having an SSL certificate and HTTPS will be that your website will not be favored in the Google Search Engine Ranking. This will affect the amount of traffic that you expect to receive with your website being at the bottom of the Search Engine list. 

How can I make my Website Secure?

You can opt for an SSL certificate which is a standard security technology for encrypting the link between the web server and the browser. SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer that will make your website more secure for browsing. A web server stores, process and delivers the web pages to the clients and web browser is a medium where the customers can view the website from their devices. The Web Server and Web Browser work together to deliver the contents of the website. Thus, there is a need to keep the link between the interaction between the web server and the web pages secure and that is what SSL certificate do to keep the browsing more secure. It encrypts the link so that the hackers won’t be able to infiltrate the information that transitions from the browser and the server. This creates the confidence and the trust between the customer and the company so that they can securely browse through your website without any worry of any online threats. 

With the seriousness of the online threats that is affecting many website owners and visitors, Lets Encrypt offer free SSL certificates for basic protection of your website.  You can read this article here about how Let's Encrypt is providing free SSL certificates.

Importance of Encryption:

A website without an SSL certificate is a house with no lock because when information that are passing through the web server to the web pages are at a greater risk. That information can be stolen, misused or exploited so to prevent that website should implement SSL certificate and HTTPS. SSL certificate can benefit your business in many ways by improving the trust, quality, security and SEO ranking of your website. Encrypting your website will not only protect your website from any harm but it will also protect your customer's interest. 

Step by Step Guide in Switching Website to HTTPS

Earlier not many had an idea about online security so there were many people who took risk in storing their data and information on the website. When online payment gateway was introduced it wasn't so secure but there were some people who had partaken in such activity had faced heavy loss. At the start when the online world was introduced, the traditional modes of working, sharing and communication methods changed but even though if there was evolution, it had come at a certain risk. But if we discuss the online world now we can for sure say that it is far more secure than before. 

Online Security has become a Priority now and to make the website secure you need to switch to the HTTPS web hosting solution. You will need to use a SSL Certificate which stands for Secure Sockets Layer which will be the way of building an encrypted link between the web server and the computer browsing.  

Why adopt HTTPS?

HTTPS secures your website from the Online Threats and hackers. A website that has a small padlock on the browser bar is said to be secure or you can also choose a green browser bar but that will depend on the type of the certificate that you will be choosing. Apart from being a security consideration HTTPS is also encouraged by the Google for ranking factor. Google wants the website owners to have an HTTPS so that the browsing experience becomes more secure for everyday users. A website that has HTTPS will be taken into consideration by Google when it comes to Search Engine Ranking Factor. 

Types of SSL Certificate:

Domain SSL - 

Domain SSL Certificate is the most popular SSL. Browser Padlock and Domain Name will appear in the browser bar. It is low cost and instantly issued because there is now paperwork so you have to not wait but it is only limited to one domain. 

Wildcard SSL – 

With WildCard SSL it is same as Domain SSL but it can be extended to the subdomain of the Domain. 

Organizational SSL –

It is expensive SSL type where domain ownership and Company Verification is required. It is issued in 1 to 2 business days. With Organizational SSL the Browser Padlock will show with the domain name and the company name in the browser bar.

Extended SSL – 

This is the most expensive type of SSL but it comes also with distinctive benefits where a green browser bar will shop up with the company name in the browser bar.

SSL Certificate can be purchased from the hosting company but it will depend on you whether you want to have a website with www. or without www. which will be according to your personal preference and requirement. 

First, plan an order of the SSL Certificate that you wish to install and then you will receive an email asking your confirmation that you approve the SSL Certificate for your website. After you approve the mail your host will then provide you with a dedicated IP address and will install the certificate for you. 

As you are moving to the HTTPS make sure that you do a full back up of your website. You need to also reflect HTTPS on your internal links so that when people are trying to find out your other pages on your website it shouldn't show 404 error (file not found). 

If you have a big website and thousands of pages then worry not because there are tools that can help you with this procedure very quickly. External Links can also be changed to the HTTPS but if it is not under your control then worry not because you can later make changes and meanwhile the HTTP traffic can be redirected to the HTTPS. 

Tools and the code libraries will be required to be changed for the users who have complex and larger websites. Implementing 301 redirects will be a smart decision because 301 redirect is a permanent redirect that enables the HTTP traffic to be sent over to the HTTPS. 

"If you have a Content Delivery Network then you should let your host support team know about your switch to the HTTPS so that they can update the Content Delivery Network."

If you are using Third Party Tools and transactional Emails then you should ensure that you update all the links with the current HTTPS link. Anyway, the HTTP links will be forwarded to the main link but it will be more professional if you update these links so that it will be a smooth browsing experience. 

If your website is using the Google Search Console and Google Analytics then make sure that you update it by just setting the default URL to HTTPS. If your website has a landing page setup then the 301 redirect will automatically update it but its better you double check just to be sure. 

Switching the Website to HTTPS may need some time and some procedure to be performed but looking on the brighter side you will be saving your website from hackers and online threats. 

People are also becoming aware of the importance of HTTPS so now is the time where in the future it may become compulsion for every website to have HTTPS so that no one have to compromise with the security protocols of the website. There are different types of SSL in the market varying from the usage and features that it will provide. Choose a Web Host that will install the SSL certificate with you and provide 24/7 technical support team.

What is SSL Certification and how Let’s Encrypt will help your website?

At the first time when you must have heard SSL Certificate, you must have thought in your head thinking SSL Certificate to be a physical certificate. But in fact, it is not a certificate in a piece of paper authorised but actually, they are data files. When you install the SSL Certificates on the Web Server you will secure the connection from your server to the user’s browser for safe net browsing. You will automatically notice a small padlock and “Secure” on the left side of the URL. Your site will be starting with https which indicates that the site is much secured instead of the regular HTTP.

As you know now what is SSL Certificate so I will now introduce you to Let’s Encrypt. Let’s Encrypt is a Certificate authority that launched in April Last year. It aims at making the online world a secure place by encrypting more web traffic. Encrypt means simply concealing the data. Encrypting the data on the website will protect your website from the hackers and virus so basically, the customers or visitors will visit the website with no regrets.

To obtain SSL certificate you need to pay some nominal fee but with Let’s Encrypt you can freely acquire an SSL certificate free of cost. It is first of its kind to provide SSL certificate because so this will encourage many people to secure their website to spread safe browsing.

SSL Certificate-Let’s Encrypt:

Let's learn about this as how you can encrypt your data with SSL Certificate provided by Let’s Encrypt with free of cost. They are available in any popular web browser such as Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and much more. This SSL Certificate will only last for 90 days and this is done so that the people are encouraged to renew their certificates. When the SSL certificate runs out the other SSL certificate is automatically issued and renewed that makes sure that there is no period where the website is without the SSL encryption.

With this, you can only register 100 sites to one certificate so most of the people won’t be bothered about this. Only 500 certificates can be registered every 3 hours. This is done so that Let’s Encrypt can protect their servers and avoid serious overloading problem in the future.

You must have first thought that why you want to secure your website by obtaining a Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate. Why go through such procedure just to get a website secured? The main first reason I can give is that it is a free SSL Certificate introduced in the market. The essential point about having an SSL certificate is that you will be securing your browser.

Lets Encrypt will allow you to conveniently encrypt a domain name and also secure the connection. So when you will be getting visitors to your website then they will be feeling safe in knowing that their details are protected and safe from the internet impostors. In short, if you want to go with the current trend in the internet website market then you should get an SSL certificate. It is very simple and easy to manage SSL certificate because everything is automatic and you don’t even have to worry about the new SSL certificate issued because everything will be done for you. From your side, you have to put very minimum effort to get an SSL certificate by just entering the domain and that’s it.

What’s the difference between the Paid SSL Certificate and Let’s Encrypt Certificate?

Let’s Encrypt certificate validity last only for 90 days but on the other hand, paid certificate validity last for a long time. But Let’s Encrypt Certificate may last for 90 days but they keep on renewing it every 60 days. For the paid certificate, you may have to physically keep renewing them.

For Commercial SSL Certificate you will get a warranty with every purchase you make but with Let’s Encrypt you will not get a warranty because it is free. When you go for a paid certificate you will get a warranty so when there is an issue or if you want to re-install then it will be done for free of cost.

With Paid SSL Certificate you can cover both the Domain and the sub-domain but it isn’t the same as Lets Encrypt. For every Domain and Sub Domain, you have to encrypt it with SSL Certificate.

The main reason for choosing a Paid SSL certificate is that if you have a business website you will be getting support if any issues occur with the certificate. But with Let’s Encrypt there isn’t support while installing the certificate but anyways it is a simple process but there are some who may find it hard to do so. When you choose a Paid SSL certificate you will be getting the support when you need it because you will be paying money so they can afford to provide staff to help you with this. But Let’s Encrypt gets donations and some sponsor to provide free services to the people so that the Browsing become much safer.

What we have learned here is that Let’s encrypt is a free SSL Certificate that will secure your website and encrypt precious data free of cost. But if you are really serious about your website and need a dedicated team then you should go for Paid SSL Certificate.

I hope that you have learned valuable information as to how important is to have an SSL Certificate for a website and its benefits. If you have any questions then you can leave a comment down below so that we can get the conversation going on and so that I can help you further with queries or questions regarding SSL certificates.

Importance of SSL Certification For Online Selling Website - (E-commerce)

With almost the entire business sector on the way to cashless digital transactions, almost every company have switched to online selling to cater to a large number of internet shoppers.

However, the threats of phishing, stealing sensitive information looms large on the internet and cash transactions are the most attacked verticals in recent times. Maybe, that is the reason why Google has started giving a small hike in ranks to sites which possess the SSL certificate.

Hackers or those stealing confidential information seldom bother about the popularity of a website involved in online sales as their main job is to find vulnerabilities. 

Nothing can be worse for an online entrepreneur than the loss of confidential data of the customers which are then used to siphon off cash to undetected accounts of phishers.

SSL, or its expanded form the Secure Sockets Layer, can be best described as the security wall which prevents the sensitive information on your online selling website from falling into the hands of online predators.

Hacking has fast become a passion for even school students, and the security walls of famous companies’ website have been broken to steal confidential information or to deface them

How Can Sensitive Information Be Stolen On The Internet?

A customer comes to your popular website which sells apparels. You have not yet installed the SSL tool in your online presence. Messages from customers all over the world will be stored on your website. As soon a visitor completes a contact form in the website, small amount of information in the form of texts will be sent to your website CMS.  This information will then be available on every machine on your network. In case the customer uses Wi-Fi, then the message will be dispatched and stored in the required database.

This situation is more dangerous, as a hacker can easily sniff out the password of the visitor’s bank details, and within some time, your visitor is bound to lose a substantial sum of money.

Similar to the keys that are used to lock as well unlock doors, these certificates use the same method to authenticate and preserve confidential information.

Reasons for using SSL –

 

SSL is usually found only on pages which require customers to offer their confidential information such as social media messages, email ids, credit card details, photos, documents and passwords. It encrypts the confidential information shared between an internet browser and website. A security wall is always needed for websites that require payments to be done online, either via another party payment sites such as PayPal or WorldPay.

If your site offers memberships or discounts for businesses, then opting for SSL is a wise option. You do not want your name or the website to appear in a negative way before the media in case of a security breach regarding the members, do you? 
These certificates verify the authenticity and details of a fake website for your customers, thus protecting it from any phishing attacks.

SSL certificates offer even support to non-selling websites such as BBC to prevent their online news from alteration by unscrupulous third parties.

Conclusion:

Also to be stated is the fact, that a normal website or blog which does not require any confidential information from others rarely need the SSL certificate.

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