Google announces HTTPS deadline!

Google has announced a deadline for non-secure websites, this is when you are only using the http:// as part of your URL link instead of https://. This update is scheduled for July 2018 when Chrome will begin warning visitors that a web site is not secure.

These warnings will most likely affect users on non secure websites, potentially causing the visitor to leave a site, which will negatively impact the statistics in Google Analytics, particularly the bounce rate.

What is HTTPS?

(Excerpt from Google) Read More
HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) is an internet communication protocol that protects the integrity and confidentiality of data between the user’s computer and the site. Users expect a secure and private online experience when using a website. We encourage you to adopt HTTPS in order to protect your users’ connections to your website, regardless of the content on the site.

Data sent using HTTPS is secured via Transport Layer Security protocol (TLS), which provides three key layers of protection:

Encryption—encrypting the exchanged data to keep it secure from eavesdroppers. That means that while the user is browsing a website, nobody can “listen” to their conversations, track their activities across multiple pages, or steal their information.
Data integrity—data cannot be modified or corrupted during transfer, intentionally or otherwise, without being detected.
Authentication—proves that your users communicate with the intended website. It protects against man-in-the-middle attacks and builds user trust, which translates into other business benefits.