You might have received an email from Google Search Console (formerly Webmaster Tools) recently, alerting you to a possible security issue with your site.
We’ve mentioned before that having an SSL for your website is vital if you have an e-commerce website, or want to use tools like Adwords or Google Shopping. Now it is important even if you aren’t selling online. Your email probably says something like this:
Starting October 2017, Chrome (version 62) will show a ‘NOT SECURE’ warning when users enter text in a form on an HTTP page, and for all HTTP pages in Incognito mode.
The following URLs on your site include text input fields (such as < input type=”text” > or < input type=”email” >) that will trigger the new Chrome warning.
So that means a text box like the ones in an email subscription form – or even a site search form where you aren’t really capturing customer-specific data – should now be protected in Google’s eyes.
Making your customers feel safe does, of course, make good sense.
Chrome has been doing this for password and credit card fields on non https:// sites since April but now Google is stepping things up to cover a broader range.
If you don’t have an SSL, they are going to warn users about it by adding security warnings in the browser toolbar when users land on the page. Chrome is the most popular browser worldwide¹ by some margin and automatically updates itself on most systems. This means that most users are on or close to the current version.
In short, many of the visitors to your site are likely to be affected when the new version appears in October. Look what happens at the top in the address bar when a customer starts typing in a text box, in this case a search field:
What do I need to do?
We know how important security is on the internet, which is why we recommend you address this sooner rather than later. At teclan we host over 1,000 websites and are constantly working on security optimisation. This is why we are working on a new range of security and optimisation packages based on customer demand to help you keep your websites in peak condition.
To fix this particular issue you’ll need to get an SSL certificate protecting your site. If you are a teclan hosting customer we can arrange an SSL for you including installation and setting up your website to use it. Contact teclan today or call us on 01463 898043.
