Google is making a fairly significant change later this year regarding how it displays website URLs in the Google Chrome browser. As of writing this, any site not secured with SSL is basically ignored. There is nothing displayed in the Google Chrome address bar next to the domain name. If the website is secured with SSL, a green lock with the word Secure appears to the left of the name.

Later this year, websites without an SSL certificate visited using Google Chrome will display a Not Secure message next to the domain name. In essence, Google is trying to make encryption across your website important enough to you that you will do something about it and they are using their popular Google Chrome browser platform the method of getting your attention.

If you don’t know what SSL is, click here for a detailed introduction.

The reality is, nothing has really changed. Websites, secure or otherwise, will still be rendered the same way by Google Chrome as before. It’s only the message that changes. But, the point is clear: get your website secured.

It used to be that security certificates were expensive and cumbersome. Now, they are free and easy. There’s really no reason not to secure your website with SSL. Most of our clients are secured using free SSL certificates offered by most hosting providers, but some choose for higher levels of encryption depending on how they use their websites. For more information on how we can help, please contact us today and we will help you get your website secure and Google compliant.