Remember back in February, when Google announced that Google Chrome would soon mark websites without an SSL as "not secure?" Did you take Google's threat seriously, or did you sit on it never get around to securing your site? Well if you answered the latter, then I come bearing bad news. Effective July 1 (THIS SUNDAY), your site will now be marked as "not secure" on Google Chrome. If you aren't as versed in internet lingo, SSL stands for Secure Socket Layer and essentially shows users that their data is safe and encrypted when using your website. In the modern age, with identity theft being so prevalent, not having an SSL an actually hurt your business and now Google is even offering incentives for adding the coveted certificate to your site.

SSLs and SEO

One of the biggest benefits of installing an SSL on your site ASAP has to do with overall security. However, following quickly behind is the benefit an SSL certificate brings to SEO. Now that Google is requiring that all sites have their certificate, having an SSL will improve your rankings on Google. In turn, sites that do not have an SSL can see a drop in their rankings once this new change is implemented. So if you don't have an SSL, you can kiss the first page of search results goodbye.

There are Only Two Days Left, is it Too Late?

The short answer to this question is no. Unless of course, your site is extremely complex, then it could take longer to install your SSL certificate. The good thing is if you start the process now, there is a chance you can get it installed before Google crawls your site again, meaning you will hopefully avoid suffering a loss of rankings.

Now What?

If you aren't sure if you have an SSL or haven't the slightest clue on acquiring and installing an SSL, contact the pros at Red Shark Digital today! We can make sure your site is marked secure, and save as many rankings as possible with one of our SEO plans. In fact, if you're looking to perform better locally, we even offer local SEO plans for any size business!