SSL & HTTPS is now Required?

In a nutshell, Google and other major search engines are requiring that your site has an SSL Certificate. HTTPS is the future.

HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol) and HTTPS (HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure) are protocols for passing information between servers. An SSL Certificate is required if you want to have your website secure AKA HTTPS. In the past an SSL Certificate was only required if your site collected sensitive data such as Credit Cards, Medical Information, Social Security Numbers, and basically anything you don’t want other people/hackers to access. It is not going to be required but there is a great deal of evidence that Google is going to give more authority to sites with HTTPS. This is similar to a past Google Update (see my previous blog) which stated that Google is giving more authority to Mobile-friendly websites. My thoughts behind these updates… I think Google and other major search engines are trying to make the web a better place. There are more than a billion websites on the World Wide Web and since an SSL costs roughly $60+/year only the businesses that are still in operation and serous about what they do will invest. Google wants to be the best search engine, they do this by sending people to websites that are up to date, running on a credible platform, now using an SSL, and mobile friendly, the user experience is better better. A good example of this is the free do it yourself website builders such as Squarespace & Wix which are known to not rank as well on all major search engines compared to platforms such as WordPress or Shopify.

Does your site need an SSL Certificate installed?

If your site needs an SSL or if you have any questions. I can help. Contact me or send me an email at hello@brynhowlett.com.