Google Warns: Secure Your Site By October or Else…
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Google Warns: Secure Your Site By October or Else…
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If you don’t want the Chrome browser scaring your visitors away, here’s what you need to know…
- Pages with Forms: Ensure all pages with form fields start with
https://instead ofhttp://. This encrypts data submitted through your website’s forms. - Google Chrome Warning: Starting in October 2017, if your site isn’t secured with encryption, Chrome will display a "NOT SECURE" message. This includes email opt-in forms.
Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help
Let me start by saying this: if technical details make you nervous, please reach out to your host for assistance. They may have better suggestions. I’ll be emphasizing this throughout this post, as the steps will vary based on your hosting.
Did You Receive This Email?
If you have a Google Webmaster account and your site isn’t secure, you might have received an email listing pages that will show a "NOT SECURE" warning in October.
How to Get Free Encryption
- Hosting: I use LiquidWeb (affiliate link) for my profitable sites. Many high-end hosting plans offer free AutoSSL.
- Setup: It took just 3 minutes to set up AutoSSL on my server. I then installed the Real Simple SSL WordPress plugin to redirect all pages from
http://tohttps. - Alternative: You can also manually set up redirects with your
.htaccessfile or explore Let’s Encrypt, a free SSL certificate authority supported by some hosts.
If Your Host Doesn’t Have AutoSSL
I don’t recommend switching hosts or upgrading plans for this. Consider Let’s Encrypt, a free option, but ensure you back up your site and database before making changes.
Why Doesn’t Everyone Support Let’s Encrypt?
Hosting companies prefer you buy SSL certificates. However, AutoSSL and Let’s Encrypt are gaining traction.
Free AutoSSL vs. Paid SSL Certificate
I won’t delve into the technical differences here, but both have their merits based on your specific needs.