The simple website fix that kills two birds with one stone – have you done it yet?

Have you ever heard of HTTPS and SSL – do you know what they mean and why they’re important for your website? They seem like esoteric terms that only technical people should worry about, but in fact, they’re very important and you need to know about them too… not in any technical detail though!

There’s a very simple way to check whether your website is up to scratch – and if it isn’t, it’s quite easy to fix.

Is your website secure?

Open your website in the Google Chrome browser, and look at the left of the address bar – does it show a padlock icon like the example below?

If not, then your website isn’t secure – and that’s a problem.

Why does it matter?

Security

Without going into lots of technical detail, all websites nowadays should be secured (meaning the web address becomes HTTPS rather than just HTTP) – as this gives the person browsing the website confidence that their interactions with it are encrypted and can’t be intercepted or hacked, particularly if they need to enter sensitive information like bank and credit card numbers or personal details. If your website isn’t secure, your customers are likely to be put off from using it.

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) impact

If your website isn’t secure, it will even affect your placement in Google’s search results – it will be pushed lower down the list, and your potential customers and visitors will therefore be less likely to find you. As soon as you make your website secure however, it will start to improve its ranking in Google.

SSL Certificates – watch out for hidden costs!

The solution is to install what’s known as an SSL Certificate. They can be easily bought online, either on their own or as part of a hosting package. Once purchased, the certificate can be installed and configured via the technical control panel of your website’s hosting account.

When shopping around for web hosting, it’s important to look out for whether an SSL Certificate is included. Quite often, they aren’t included in the prices you’ll see quoted – and then turn up sneakily as an optional, chargeable add-on at the checkout stage of the transaction.

At erjjio studios, all our web hosting accounts include an SSL Certificate as standard, and we’ll install and configure it for you ourselves. There are no hidden costs or set up fees. You can check out our hosting plans and pricing here.

Interested in other tips and tricks for improving your ranking in Google?

Installing an SSL Certificate is just one factor that gives your website visitors confidence and helps improve your ranking in Google’s search results – there are lots of other techniques that can be employed too. If you’d like to learn more about your website could be improved, request your FREE website health check or simply get in touch for a chat! We’d love to hear from you.