In today’s digital age, having a secured website is of the utmost importance for every business. If you’ve ever attempted to visit a website—only to get an alert from your browser warning you that the site you’re trying to visit is not secure—you know how off-putting this can be. Not having a secure website not only affects the confidence of your consumers, but also Google rankings. The result is a potential decrease in traffic to your site and less patronage to your business. Thankfully, securing an insecure website is relatively easy. Below, we’ll discuss what determines website security, and explain how to secure a website.
Understanding HTTP vs. HTTPS
A website’s security is determined by its HTTP or HTTPS classification:
• HTTP
HTTP stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol, and is placed in front of every web address. This determines how messages are formatted and transmitted while communicating commands to web servers and browsers. HTTP websites are not secure, which means that any information entered on these websites is not encrypted. This leaves personal information like credit card or payment information, addresses, or login information subject to being stolen by hackers. In order to help protect consumers, Google ranks HTTP sites lower in search results, and any visitor to such a site is usually warned by their browser.
• HTTPS
In contrast, URLs that are preceded by HTTPS are secure. This means that any information entered on the site is encrypted, so consumers don’t have to worry about any of their personal information being stolen from your site. In order to authenticate its identity, as well as be able to encrypt data to be sent to the server, a website must have an SSL certificate (Secure Sockets Layer certificate). Installing an SSL certificate is an easy way to turn an existing HTTP website into a secure HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) website.
Get a Secure Website through CloudMellow
At CloudMellow, we know how important it is to have a secure website. We build custom sites that feature beautiful designs and intuitive user-experiences, as well as top-of-the-line security. We also take a client-centric approach to site development, giving you the site that you have envisioned, while still maximizing website leads.
CloudMellow specializes in providing customized digital marketing solutions to commercial, enterprise and government clients across the U.S. If you’d like to discover more about how to secure a website, or receive additional information about our web and digital service solutions, contact us today!
