What You Need To Know About Security Warnings in Google Chrome

Written by Advertising is Simple

View originial article here.

Are you in charge of your own standalone IC Site or client sites that have forms on web pages that are HTTP (not HTTPS)? If so, you might have received an email from Google Search Console recently reminding you that starting October 17, 2017, these pages will be showing security warnings  in Google Chrome.

Do you manage websites that are HTTP and have pages with forms capturing some sort of customer data (eg. contact us form)?  If yes, this notice is very important for your case and you should definitely care about the difference between http and https. Why?

It might seem so sudden, but the Google’s plan to change labeling HTTP sites as non-secure has been gradually taking place since January 2017, following the change of Chrome 56. In recent statements, Chrome explained this initiative as cracking down on HTTP infractions with credit cards and passwords. “Passwords and credit cards are not the only types of data that should be private. Any type of data that users type into websites should not be accessible to others on the network, so starting in version 62 Chrome will show the “Not secure” warning when users type data into HTTP sites.” – Chromium Blog

So what’s the difference between HTTP and HTTPS?

Whenever you’re visiting the HTTP site, you sit at your browser and interact with data. However, how the data travels from Point A to Point B, or even if it travels at all, is none of HTTP’s concern.

It’s similar with HTTPS, BUT when security is a must, HTTPS differentiates one sender and receiver from another. The SSL actually encrypts the coming and going data. This means that SSL uses a mathematical algorithm to hide the true meaning of the data. The hope is that this algorithm is so complex it is either impossible or prohibitively difficult to crack, therefore making data submitted through HTTPS web page (contact details, credit card info) more secure.

How to avoid these security warnings in Google Chrome?

  1. Host with a dedicated IP address.
  2. Buy a Certificate.
  3. Activate the Certificate.
  4. Install the Certificate.
  5. Update your site to use HTTPS.

 

If you migrate your site from HTTP to HTTPS, Google treats this as a site move with a URL change. This can temporarily affect some of your traffic numbers.

See the site move overview page to learn more. Also, here is more information on Google Search Console recommendations about https.

 

 

New Workshop: Google Local Marketing Power Workshop to Help Small Businesses Succeed on the Web

Emerging Enterprise Center is helping small businesses grow their presence online by sponsoring a Google Local Marketing Power Workshop, which will feature a lesson about how to optimize their free google business listing to rise to the top of the search results.

The workshop will be hosted on Wednesday, January 25th, 2017 at the Emerging Enterprise Center located at the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce, 12 Penns Way, New Castle, DE  19720 from 8:30 AM to 11:30 AM EDT. Only 100 seats are available. Bring your laptops and get your business online.

Let’s Put Our Cities on the Map is a program from Google that brings community members, business owners, and civic leaders together to help small businesses succeed on the web.

 

“4 out of 5 consumers use search engines to find local information nearby, yet only 37% of businesses have claimed their listing on a search engine,” says Emily Harris, Manager of Google’s Let’s Put Our Cities on the Map program. “Small businesses are the engine of local economies and when they flourish, their communities do as well.”

Let’s Put Our Cities on the Map is a program that empowers communities to support their local businesses and encourage them to get on the map. Local businesses keep our communities strong; when we help them succeed on the web, they make our communities even stronger. The Google Local Marketing Power Workshop is a Google presentation hosted by Emerging Enterprise Center in cooperation with 360 Business Success, Official Google Partner.

register

 

About Get Your Business Online

Let’s Put Our Cities on the Map is a program designed to empower communities to support their local businesses by helping them get on Google Search and Maps for free. Businesses that are online grow 40% faster than those that aren’t. Let’s help every local business get their information online. Explore our site to learn how you can join in, support businesses in your community, and put your city on the map: www.gybo.com