Google just announced that it’s Search Console will now be sending warnings to website owners for not having a secure connection for users who need to enter login information on a page.
Industries such as eCommerce, news sites, Real estate and law firms who may have a login portal for clients and users must immediately switch from HTTP to HTTPS in order to avoid harsh security warnings in the new Google Chrome (version 56 or later). The search engine has already begun to issue warnings to website owners via Google Search Console but, be warned: January 2017 is the deadline.
Site owners will receive warnings if their pages include password or credit card input fields, or any other personal information. This push for HTTPS comes in the wake of Google’s insistence on websites switching over to HTTPS. The search engine giant went so far as to make having a secure site a ranking factor in search results in order to entice site owners to make the switch.
Cyber attacks and system hacks for data and sensitive user information have become more and more frequent as “bad actors” continue to push boundaries and probe further when it comes to gathering credit card and social security numbers. Although not all attacks can be prevented, having HTTPS will help a large percentage of cyber hacks.
Be sure to check your Google Search Console after the New Year to check whether or not you have a warning. Contact a reliable search engine optimization company if you would like to switch over to HTTPS and improve your search results in 2017!