Why Does My Website Show As “Not Secure” ?
As a website owner, one of the worst feelings is seeing a website you have invested so much time and resources being labeled as “Not Secure.” Google Chrome leads the pack in alerting its users that a website is not secure when they enter any data into a site that lacks an encrypted connection. E-commerce websites are worst affected as they contain personally identifiable info like passwords and credit card input fields. Other browsers like Firefox, Safari and Internet Explorer have followed suit by giving users similar warnings in the URL bar when they are on a website not secure. The warnings have been getting increased public attention. Website owners are moving fast on adding SSL certificates to secure their sites. We are headed towards a future where HTTPS page encryption will be a standard requirement for all web pages. Ultimately, this move will make the internet a safer place for you and your visitors.

What Is The Meaning Of The “Not Secure” Warning?

Websites are served up over HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) protocol. HTTP is a standard way that your PC communicates with the site you’re browsing. A site that is secure utilizes an SSL certificate that is responsible for changing URL to HTTP. An SSL certificate tells your visitors (and their browsers) that you are who you say you are.

When you receive the website not secure notification on your site, what this means is that part of the content being loaded is coming over without encryption. When the communication between your computer and your browser is in the open, the transmitted data can be viewed or tampered with. Once personally, identifiable info is in the hands of cybercriminals, they will use the info to perform identity theft, make fraudulent purchases or even empty bank accounts. What the added security does is simply protect your computer’s communication by providing end-to-end encryption. This makes it harder for your ISPs, hackers, Government and other malicious parties to sniff or eavesdrop the data as it traverses the web.

How Will The “Not Secure” Warning Affect My Site?

For starters, when your website visitors get this website not secure warning, it will impact public perception which will result in lost consumer confidence and online conversions. The warning will raise their concerns about the non-secure nature of your WordPress site. People are more protective of their privacy and information online these days more than ever. Some may assume that your website is hacked or perceive it as vulnerable which will adversely impact the bounce rate of your website. Another way this warning can affect your site is in rankings. Websites with SSL certificates have a better chance of being ranked higher than those without.

Dangerous Not secure or Dangerous

We suggest you don’t enter any private or personal information on this page. If possible, don’t use the site.

Not secure: Proceed with caution. Something is severely wrong with the privacy of this site’s connection. Someone might be able to see the information you send or get through this site.

You might see a “Login not secure” or “Payment not secure” message.

Dangerous: Avoid this site. If you see a full-page red warning screen, the site has been flagged as unsafe by Safe Browsing. Using the site will likely put your private information at risk.

Conclusion

There you have it, you now understand why it’s in your best interest and that of your website visitors that your site has an SSL certificate. The website not secure warning started with websites containing passwords and credit card input fields, but soon browsers will trigger a “not secure” warning even to websites that don’t contain sensitive input fields. Now that Google Chrome, Safari, Internet Explorer and Firefox are geared to marking all HTTP sites as non-secure in the long-term, today is the best time to install an SSL certificate from a trusted certificate authority to make your website compliant with these browsers’ noble initiative.

Secure your website now