A GOOD WEBSITE IS SAFE, SECURE.
A secure website is safe from hackers who may otherwise try to steal information that is provided to your site by your customers. The search engines are aware of this and will warn your would-be new customers if your website is ‘Not secure’ and to ‘Be careful on this website.’
You can secure your website with a current SSL* Certificate from a reputable provider.
*Secure Socket Layer
An SSL Certificate will rid your website of the ‘not secure’ label.
Search users react badly to the ‘not secure’ warning.
Many leave immediately and the remainder will not give name, email, or phone. The business also loses credibility when they don’t have site security.
The SSL Certificate will bring you more customers. Without SSL, prospects tend to run to your competitors.
No HTTPS designation shows your site is subject to hacking.
A certified SSL (secure socket layer) with the HTTPS security designation on your website assures the search engines that your site cannot be hacked or used for phishing. Phishing is when an unsecured site that accepts personal information is duplicated by hackers in order to intercept the personal data: names, email addresses, phone numbers, financial information, etc.
Fear and loathing
Web users are wary when they see “not secure” in a website’s browser bar. They may react hastily, out of fear. In addition, a survey* found the ‘Not secure’ tag affects a company’s reputation as well.
46 percent of survey respondents said they would not enter personal information into a site that was not secure. And 64 percent of that group said they would leave the site “instantly.”
In fact, sometimes Google will post an additional warning urging the search user to go “Back to Safety” before they open the website.
Other fears, whether valid or not, included:
- Their device was exposed to a virus
- They had arrived on a fake version of the site
- The website was unreliable – not “fact-checked”
- They would be signed up for spam email
- Their data would be sold
Without SSL, a professional reputation is impacted and sales are lost.
Except for large well-known brands, negative perceptions are created by the “not secure” warning.
Added to the behaviors listed above this suggests that conversions are being lost from exposure to the warning. Even when a prospective customer clicks through to the site, there are lost conversions when users will not fill out appointment or contact forms.
*Agency John Cabot surveyed 1,324 people.
Why is Google posting this warning?
They want to give search users a good and safe experience.
A website with HTTPS in the site address will rank higher. Google has been marking HTTP sites in Chrome “Not secure” since July 2018. Other search engines are following suit. They are looking for HTTPS encryption provided by the installation of SSL.
Should you care?
The 47% results above suggest that half the survey population were not concerned about the warning. Maybe they didn’t notice. So, one could take a “glass is half full” view of the study.
But that would be a mistake. The combination of HTTPS encryption as a ranking factor plus the negative reactions of consumers who see “Not secure” make it imperative that you secure your website.
The cost of an SSL certificate is minimal compared to the cost of lost customers. There’s really no reason to not go with HTTPS.
Let Guild Marketing help you today:
- Install your SSL Certificate
- Provide HTTPS encryption
- Get rid of the “Not secure” warning
You can quickly and inexpensively have a secure website. We will procure your SSL Certificate and install it in only a few days. The cost is only $199 — much less than the annual cost of your lost customers.
Contact Guild Marketing here: ssl@guildmarketing.net.