Secure via SSL (HTTPS)

In July 2018, Google announced they would begin marking all sites without an SSL certificate as “not secure.” This identifier tells website visitors whether their personal information is safe and secure while they’re browsing sites on the internet.

What is HTTPS?

HTTPS stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure. HTTPS is the secure version of HTTP, the protocol used for communication between your website and the internet browser a visitor is using. If your website is secure, it will have “https://” in front of the web address instead of “https://”. When your website is secured with an SSL certificate, HTTPS will appear in your website’s URL.

How Much does a an SSL Certificate Cost?

The cost of an SSL certificate will depend on your website’s hosting provider, who they buy the certificate through, and the type of certificate they buy. We prefer to use SiteGround for hosting, they provide free SSL certificates via Let’s Encrypt.

The Process of Switching from HTTP to HTTPS

Switching from HTTP to HTTPS can be tricky. There are a few potential issues that can occur, which is why this isn’t considered a quick, DIY project. Here are a few things that need to happen to convert your site from HTTP to HTTPS:

• Find the right SSL certificate for your website
• Install the certificate on your website
• Update the configuration of your website to point to HTTPS instead of HTTP
• Redirect all pages for your HTTP website to the location of the HTTPS site
• Re-verify ownership of your website in Google Search Console and update the sitemap location
• Update your web property’s configuration in Google Analytics
• Test and confirm that the conversion was successful

Like we said, this isn’t a quick DIY project. Make the process easier by using us as your go to web developers, and letting us handle the work!