This video from DigiCert does a good job of spelling out recent updates to HTTPS on the Internet.

As of July 2018, Google Chrome released changes to its handling of HTTP sites. In the address bar, these sites are now labeled Not Secure.

On all HTTP pages, Chrome 68 displays a warning reading “Not Secure” to the left of the URL in the address bar. This will be a major change for websites and pages still using HTTP as they will now receive prominent warnings making users aware of the insecurity of the HTTP protocol. To avoid this you will need to obtain an SSL certificate for your website and deploy HTTPS—ideally to every page.

The evolution of warnings in Chrome has changed significantly from a green lock, showing that something was “secure” in 2016, to the present “not secure” warning. It turns out users respond more to negative than positive reinforcement, hence, the change. For anyone creating websites, or maintaining sites for clients, having an SSL certificate installed and active on all pages is highly recommended.

It increases brand loyalty, reduces e-commerce abandonment and increases user confidence. For more information on purchasing and maintaining SSL Certificates check out DigiCert or RapidSSL.

Until next time.

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