Google Update

One ongoing benefit of using Google Search Console is notification of new information from Google. This is just one of the reasons to keep your site connected to Google Search Console (formerly Google Webmaster Tools). Google recently sent out messages to owners of sites which will be impacted by their latest planned change: adding a “not secure” warning to sites not fully converted to HTTPS (vs. HTTP).

 

Google HTTPS update

 

Google has already stated that changing a domain to HTTPS is now a ranking signal in their algorithm, and they are clearly continuing to encourage webmasters to make the change. The question is, will you be ready by October when the update to Chrome (version 62) happens?

There are plenty of stories of sites converting from HTTP to HTTPS, and suffering from traffic drops due to broken links, etc. While installing an SSL certificate may not be very complicated, there are other considerations to make to avoid headaches. If you’re doing it yourself, take your time and understand exactly what you are doing before you make the change. Better yet, if you have a web provider to assist you, make sure they are aware of the needed change and establish a plan in time for the update.

According to at least one source, as of July 2017, approximately 64% of traffic on the web goes through a version of Google Chrome. About 38% is on Chrome 59, so those users are most likely to be updating to the newest version, and be affected by the warning message. Thankfully the message won’t be too frightening at first, simply listing the text “not secure” next to the URL. That may change over time, so if you have been waiting to make the change, now may be the time.

Cazbah’s Plan for HTTPS:

At Cazbah, we have plans in place to make sure that our clients’ websites will be converted prior to the deadline to avoid any hassle or negative impact to your users. If you are not a Cazbah customer, make sure you contact your website provider as soon as possible to make sure they have a plan to make your site a HTTPS site.