As a business in the modern age, it’s almost a requirement that you have some sort of online presence. In many cases, this will mean you own and operate your own website. A personal website is a great way to get your brand out there and generate customer interactivity, but there’s one major security pitfall many website owners overlook. Let’s explore why you should switch your site to HTTPS right now.
What Does HTTPS Mean?
HTTPS is a combination of HTTP and an added S. The main HTTP (which most websites these days have as part of their address) stands for “Hypertext Transfer Protocol”, and is just a name for how websites interact with users trying to visit them. The added S stands for, simply enough, “Secure”, a part of “Secure Socket Layer”.
What Does a Secure Socket Layer Do?
In simplest terms, a Secure Socket Layer protects your website and its users from hackers. Essentially, the SSL encrypts what’s being transmitted between your website and whoever visits it, making it harder for people to see what a user does. This is especially helpful for websites related to food service, as many users will be inputting credit card data that could be stolen.
Why Should You Switch to HTTPS?
Switching to HTTPS rather than staying as HTTP is beneficial in a number of ways. Most simply, it inspires trust in your customers. An unsecured website will usually put people off from visiting and will be flagged as potentially dangerous by Google algorithms. Simply using SSL for your webpages makes users more likely to trust the business associated with those pages, meaning you’ll be more likely to find yourself another customer.
Other than that, it’s simply good business sense. Since 2014, Google has given websites using an HTTPS address a slight boost in ranking when searched. While only a minimal change, the chance of appearing on the front page of a search will dramatically increase the chance of new customers finding your business.
Most importantly, though, securing your websites means your business is safer to use. An unsecured website isn’t guaranteed to be hacked, nor is a secured website guaranteed to be free of danger, but adding an extra layer of security pays off in peace of mind and protection. Having a safe website means you and your customers won’t need to fear when inputting sensitive data.
These are just a few of the reasons why every business website in 2017 should make use of SSL technology. To see if your business is protected, use this easy test to see whether or not your website data is being served over an HTTPS address.
