Web browsers flag non-HTTPS sites as "insecure" or even dangerous, displaying a worrying warning before users can access the site, which can lead to a significant loss of visitors. This is just one of the many compelling reasons to secure your website with an HTTPS connection, among others listed below.
What is the difference between HTTP and HTTPS?
HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) is the encrypted version of the HTTP protocol, the primary protocol used for exchanging data between a web browser and a website. HTTPS uses TLS (SSL) to encrypt standard HTTP requests and responses, making it safer and more secure for browsing. Encryption enhances the security of information flows and data transfers. This is especially important when users enter or transmit sensitive data, such as when making online purchases and transactions, logging into a bank account, or using an email service.
All websites, and especially those requiring login credentials, must use HTTPS. On web browsers like Chrome and Safari, websites that don't use HTTPS are flagged differently from those that do. Look for a padlock icon in the URL bar, indicating that the webpage is secured with a certificate and HTTPS. Browsers strongly favor HTTPS; Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and others flag non-HTTPS websites as insecure and potentially dangerous for visitors.
A website that uses HTTPS has https:// at the beginning of its URL in the address bar instead of http://, such as https://www.brandshelter.com.
Here are the main reasons why it is important to use an SSL/TLS certificate to secure the connection and your website with HTTPS.
Reason #1: Websites using HTTPS are more reliable and reassuring for visitors.
Websites using HTTPS guarantee a high level of confidentiality, thanks to SSL/TLS which encrypts the data exchanged over the web. This means that the data is not readable in plain text and appears as a garbled string of characters that is virtually impossible to decipher for anyone attempting to intercept it.
Before encryption:
This refers to a text or string of characters that is perfectly readable in plain text.
After encryption:
IoMOPXt4LYN@RJK7^amMsVCR9XJR0/p5xzhBLc&7Zr0x_TGZqM9s+IUhMuqOg5sfCdJBMqwXy%0=
Thus the confidentiality of the data in transit is preserved and it cannot be easily stolen.
Furthermore, HTTPS relies on the transmission of SSL/TLS certificates, which verify that a specific provider or organization is indeed who it claims to be. SSL/TLS initiates an authentication process called a handshake between two communicating devices, which verifies the identity of the servers/devices and ensures that the two communicating machines are truly who they claim to be, thus preventing identity theft. SSL also digitally signs the data to ensure data integrity, verifying that the data is not tampered with during transit and before reaching its intended recipient.
Web browsers like Chrome, Safari, Firefox and others flag all HTTP (non-HTTPS) sites with an unappealing alert as "not secure" and dangerous.
HTTPS has then become a quality criterion for browsers and websites for several years now.
Reason #2: HTTPS secures data and protects users and websites.
With HTTPS, data transmitted over the internet is encrypted during transit, making exchanges and communications secure. Encryption protects all types of data: personal information, usernames, passwords, email addresses, information and data entered into forms, banking details, etc.
Reason #3: HTTPS allows you to verify identity and authenticate websites.
When a visitor accesses a website or connects to an unfamiliar service, they could easily find themselves on fraudulent and deceptive sites and platforms. An SSL/TLS certificate, which enables HTTPS, guarantees a website's identity and confirms to the visitor that they are indeed on the intended website, thanks to external verification performed by a trusted third party (Certificate Authorities that issue the certificates) which ensures that a website/web server is what it claims to be.
This mechanism prevents identity theft and/or website hijacking.
Authentication by an SSL/TLS certificate and security by HTTPS also contribute greatly to the legitimacy of a website and a company/brand, to improve its image and appearance, and thereby contribute to influencing the behaviors and vision or perception of visitors and users towards the company and/or brand.
Reason #4: HTTPS has no drawbacks or disadvantages.
HTTPS currently presents no disadvantages and faces no barriers.
Let's explore some recurring misconceptions about HTTPS.
→ "My website is only a showcase; it neither contains nor processes any sensitive information, so I don't need HTTPS"
For the reasons mentioned above, this argument is no longer valid. The absence of HTTPS negatively impacts your traffic, visitor/user trust, and the image of your website and your company/organization.
Furthermore, this deprives you of certain modern and useful features on your website and for the services you offer. Web browsers now limit the functionality of HTTP sites that are not secure. Important features that improve the quality of a website now require HTTPS. For example, geolocation, push notifications , and the Service Workers needed to run Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) all require the enhanced security of HTTPS. This makes perfect sense: data such as a user's location is sensitive and can be used for malicious purposes.
Also, from a website security perspective, it's always best to use HTTPS. For example, some ISPs inject advertising into HTTP websites. These ads, which you may not want to see on your site and which don't generate any revenue, are not only intrusive and disruptive to navigation and the overall user experience, but they may also be irrelevant to your site's content and image, and potentially offensive. These injected ads can no longer occur once a site is secured.
→ "HTTPS is expensive"
Today, it's easy and not necessarily expensive to implement HTTPS according to your needs. There are various types and offers of certificates suited to your requirements and budget, including free SSL/TLS certificates from Let's Encrypt.
→ "This will negatively impact my SEO and search engine rankings when I migrate my site to HTTPS"
Migrating websites from HTTP to HTTPS can be done safely and without harming SEO by following best practices.
In particular, it is imperative to correctly follow the following two practices, which are among the most important:
1) The use of 301 redirection.
2) The correct use of canonical URLs and canonical tags. By using 301 redirects on the HTTP site to redirect to the HTTPS version, a website instructs search engines to redirect searches and indexing to the new, secure location. And by placing canonical tags only on the HTTPS site, search engine indexing robots will know that the HTTPS site is the primary content to prioritize and should be considered canonical going forward.
If you have a large number of web pages and URLs, you can submit a sitemap. It is always recommended to implement a sitemap to improve website and content crawlability, indexing, and search engine ranking, especially for large or complex sites.