Your site’s padlock (HTTPS): what it means and why it matters
If your site has no padlock, the browser warns your customers it’s “Not secure”. What HTTPS is and why there’s no excuse not to have it.
HTTPS is the encrypted version of the connection between the browser and your site. It protects what visitors type, like their name and phone in a form, so no one along the way can read it.
What your customers see
Since July 2018, with Chrome 68, the Chrome browser marks every site that doesn’t use HTTPS as “Not secure”. It’s a message that scares off customers before they read a single word.
What Google sees
In 2014 Google announced it would start using HTTPS as a ranking signal, while noting it was a very lightweight signal, weighing less than high-quality content. It won’t put you in first place, but going without it doesn’t help.
What it costs
Nothing, in most cases. Let’s Encrypt is a free, automated certificate authority, and many hosting providers include a certificate at no cost. If someone charges you extra for “the SSL”, ask why.
Check your site now: if the address bar says “Not secure”, ask your provider to turn on HTTPS.