Failing to protect your website with HTTPS is detrimental to your site, even if it does not carry sensitive information and communications. If you want your business to be represented as trustworthy and reliable, utilising HTTPS – rather than HTTP – is inevitably more beneficial for you.
What is HTTPS?
HTTP stands for ‘HyperText Transfer Protocol’. It is a system that transfers data from one network to another. This data is communicated in a plaintext format, enabling the information to be readable for any individual viewing the network (either legitimately or illegitimately). HTTP sends this plaintext data as-is, which is where the issue lies. Hence, the development of HTTPS.
HTTPS stands for ‘HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure’, representing optimum safety and security of information and communications. HTTPS ensures that all network requests, generated by a user’s own network browser, and responses are encrypted. For instance, when sensitive data is submitted to a website – such as passwords or payment/bank details – the process of encryption ensures that anybody monitoring the network would not be able to read it. All information is therefore sent securely and privately.
Why is HTTPS important?
Using HTTPS also ensures that the website is authenticated, as to enable HTTPS an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate must be purchased and validated against the owner. This reassures users that the network is truly who they are claiming to be and enhances the integrity for the user, further making the site a trusted service to rely on. If a user knows that their data is being protected and kept under strict privacy, it is inextricably likely for your business’ online reputation to increase – your network will be viewed as a highly dependable and reliable source.
Why should HTTPS always be used?
From a business perspective, your website should always utilise HTTPS. Due to HTTPS representing security and strong trustworthiness, HTTPS verified sites tend to rank higher on the search engine results page (SERP).
Most search engine providers label HTTP-only sites as “not secure”. For instance, search engines have pinpointed HTTPS as a high-quality element in deciding top search engine results. The more secure your website, the more likely a site user will want to visit it and use it, in turn, increasing Google’s own opinion of the site.
In summary, HTTPS is more important than ever. Rank Ranger produced a study concluding that 70% of Google’s top search results by 2018 were sites that use HTTPS. Protecting your site with HTTPS is crucial for your business’ success; it will allow your business to grow with a trustworthy and reliable identity and, in turn, efficiently grow your user audience.
