The 5 Advantages of HTTPS

1 An Extra Layer of Security

With HTTPS, data is protected between browser and server with SSL. You utilize HTTPS encryption if you use Content Management Systems like WordPress and Shopify, among others.

2 Trust Between You and Your Customers

Aside from making your website more secure, having HTTPS will add a level of trust between you and your customers. Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the security protocols online, so by switching to HTTPS, people will be more likely to visit your website.

3 Google Ranking

Google may lower your website’s ranking if it doesn’t have HTTPS encryption. Google checks the authenticity of websites by comparing those with similar content, if one site has HTTP and a competitor has HTTPS, they will always favor the competitor. Since 2014, Google has made security a priority, a key reason why the company wants to incorporate HTTPS across the web.

4 Mobile Technology

More consumers use their mobile devices for convenient online shopping and website need to be mobile friendly. Google’s Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) is an essential factor to consider when optimizing your website for tablets and smartphones. AMP increases loading speeds on mobile devices, which ranks more highly in search results, but only works on websites with HTTPS. AMP is relevant to progressive web applications and new generation browsers.

5 Stop Lawful Intruders

Unfortunately, there are plenty of dangers that can pose a threat online. Legal intruders like ISPs, third-party marketers, and governments, bypass networks to send you targeted ads. Hackers can install malware on your computer and flood sites with ads which affect the user experience and allow unauthorized people to gain access.

Avoid Penalties by Switching to HTTPS

It’s not only the Google search engine penalizing websites without HTTPS. Chrome and Firefox both warn users before they enter personal information into HTTP sites. Additionally, websites that don’t have HTTPS in Chrome can’t access features like:

Geolocation Application cache Device motion Device orientation

Chrome developers plan to display “Not Secure” in the address bar for all websites without the proper encryption.

Adding a Layer of Security to Your Online Browsing

Cyber attacks often happen, and victims often don’t know it until it’s too late. Although HTTPS is more secure, your data can still be at risk, and it’s vital that you’re more vigilant. For this, we recommend you use a quality VPN service. A VPN reroutes your web traffic via a remote server; a process which hides your IP address and encrypts your data. With a VPN, your personal information is better protected.

What Is HTTP

HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol and it allows us to transfer data via the internet. Every piece of content that travels between you and your server is hypertext; this includes text, pictures, videos, and sounds. Unfortunately, any website with just HTTP makes them vulnerable to multiple online threats.

How HTTP Makes You Vulnerable to Online Threats

Using HTTP can leave you vulnerable to various types of online threats as this type of protocol makes it easier for unauthorized users to access unencrypted data.

Cookies Set by HTTP

The tailored pages that a server delivers to you are possible because of stored Cookies on the client side. Occasionally, script within the page uses the data from cookies to carry information from one website to the next. HTTP doesn’t provide isolation by port, which means if the cookie is readable and writable by service on one, it can be on another. Problems arise as these vulnerabilities can allow attackers to gain access to personal information while you’re browsing the web.

Garbage and Abstract Bandwidth Floods

There are two types of DDoS flood attacks of which you should be wary.

A garbage flood attack may go unnoticed because it seems like valid HTTP traffic. The attacker opens a connection to the HTTP port and sends garbage binary data to overfill queues and internal buffers. With an abstract bandwidth flood attack, the server sends traffic to saturate the server’s uplink and flood the server’s connection.

Always Remember the S = Security

For the safety of you and your web visitors and to keep your website competitive, it’s essential that you have HTTPS encryption. HTTPS alone doesn’t ensure your online security, but in conjunction with a reliable VPN service, the added layers of encryption ensure you keep your personal information private and online activity anonymous.