Recently you may have noticed that many websites have HTTPS at the front of their URL instead of HTTP.  If you use a browser such as Chrome you may have also noticed the word “Secure” displayed before the URL. This should give you the first indication of its purpose. The difference between HTTP and HTTPS is massive, and can have a huge influence on your websites security and performance.

With the recent GDPR rules in effect, online security is more pertinent than ever. Going HTTPS with your website, means securing it with SSL.  SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer and refers to a set of files that are added to a server to reach HTTPS status. With this in place, the data exchanged by your web server and browser becomes encrypted. This offers a hardened layer of protection alongside a variety of other factors. To communicate the benefits easily, we have a compiled a list of the 3 top reasons to go HTTPS.

Secure Your Website With HTTPS and SSL

1. Ensure Security to protect information transfer.
   This was touched on earlier when we spoke about the encryption of data between your browser and the web server. If your website is HTTP, your information is very easy to access and read. This means that hackers are able to intercept the connection between your browser and website visitors, grabbing all your sensitive information in one fell swoop. This becomes particularly concerning if your website is E-commerce and is dealing with users personal details. Going HTTPS encrypts your data and makes it almost impossible to read.
2. Protect Your Brand to build trust.
   When somebody visits your website you want them to feel safe. You want to show that you care about online security and that you are doing all you can to prevent a hacking scenario. Going HTTPS tells users that you care about their security. Furthermore, HTTPS shows that you are keeping up with technological advancements. Factors such as these go a long way in building a strong trust between you and your audience.
3. Improve Your Google Rank.
   Google has explicitly stated using SSL is a deciding factor in the ranking algorithm. They clearly want to prioritise online security and have made steps to do so with their rankings. Having a high rank gives websites perhaps the best exposure that they can get. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) comprises of many elements including HTTPS. You can read more about SEO and why it needs to be done right, in a recent article of ours.

It is vital that you secure your website with HTTPS. Without it you are putting both yourself and you audience in harm’s way. Every website that EditMe creates comes integrated with HTTPs from the very beginning, giving our clients total peace of mind. Contact us today and let’s discuss your online security needs.