Does my website need an SSL certificate?

It's been known for a while now that Google wants to get rid of the unencrypted internet and in doing so it will mark around two thirds of the web pages it crawls as being “unsafe”.

In the browser, if your website connection is unsecure then it currently displays NOT SECURE next to your website address and clicking on this will inform the visitor that the connection is not secure. In the near future this will then be changed to a red X mark over a padlock, drawing more attention to it.

If your site is secure then you will then get a nice “Secure” message next to your address. Hey look Way Fresh is secure!

What does the SSL do?

Essentially an SSL certificate will secure any data exchanged between you and the website, protecting your personal information, passwords and any private messages.

But that's not all, it also ensures that the visitor is connecting to the right website and not a fake version.

On top of that Google may also put you above non-secured websites in their search results, but that is just a rumour at the mo!

How do I get an SSL for my website?

Simple! If you are fortunate to have your website managed by Way Fresh, then just give us a call and we will do the rest.

If you aren't with Way Fresh and are with another website company in Newcastle, then tell them you want to move your website to us :) No seriously, let them know you want an SSL and they will also work their magic.

Why is this happening?

In essence, Google wants everything on the web to be travelling over a secure connection to protect everyone. But it's not just Google, there are several large organisations and companies who are also championing this too.

Overall it is a great idea and has the site visitor's best interests at heart, but obviously a bit more work for us website designers.