Google Will Stop Showing Any Website That is Not Secure. Is Yours?

Google is like the protective older sibling of the internet. And like any good big bro (or sis) they want to keep you safe. Google announced that they will soon show a “not secure” warning for any site that is not SSL compliant and exclude it from search results. The change will be effective when Google version 62 launches in October.

We’ve talked before about SSL, but a quick refresher course – SSL is a way of encrypting your site to make it more secure. You may not know what it is, but you’ve definitely seen it in action:

It’s that little green lock that shows up in the URL. Historically, this level of security was really only necessary for websites accepting sensitive information like credit card numbers, home addresses, etc. However, Google is stepping up their security game and now requiring that every site, whether or not it takes personal information, must be SSL compliant.

What You Need to Do

Do we host your website? Then take a deep breath. We’ve been aware of this change for months and have been working to cross over all of our clients to HTTPS. If you host with us, your site will be updated to SSL compliance before the switch. If you don’t host with us, we’ll shamelessly say this would be a good time to sign up. In any event, you should contact your hosting provider immediately to make sure they are aware of the change and will work to make your site secure.

While we’re making sure that your site itself is SSL compliant, you may need to take additional steps if your site pulls in any content from outside sources.

My Site Uses Content from Other Sources – What Do I Need to Do?

First, let’s clarify what we mean by outside sources: this does not mean any text or links, but instead plug-ins or embedded content. Examples include:

• eCommerce plug-ins
• Class sign-up tools
• Embed video libraries
• Interactive tools 

We automatically ensure that every plug-in that we’ve installed on your site is secure, but we aren’t able to modify programs created by other companies. If you use a tool that pulls in content from outside sources that isn’t secure, it will no longer display on the site – instead, your visitors will see a blank box.

If you think your site may be affected by this, please contact us so we can tell you what next steps need to be taken. In many cases, you’ll need to reach out directly to the makers of the program to ensure that it’s secure. Most companies are aware of this shift and likely have already taken steps to make sure their tools are secure.

As always, if you have any questions you can always reach out and we’ll be happy to help.

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