If your website receives text input (like eCommerce) but does not have an SSL certificate, come October 2017 Google Chrome will begin “punishing” sites by posting a red “Not Secure” warning visible to anyone seeking out your website.

This means that your website address must read “https” at the beginning of its address, rather than “http”. When secure, the “s”, along with a lock icon will appear in the header bar in your web address.

Sensitive text input such as passwords and credit card information are vulnerable on unencrypted sites, and the “Not Secure” warning is a reminder to those using the website that their private information is vulnerable to interception.

Read more about SSL certificates.

To obtain an SSL certificate for your website, contact your web hosting company.

As the Google safety initiative continues, all websites will eventually be required to carry the SSL certificate. Website owners should upgrade sooner rather than later in order to avoid risking business loss from the “Not Secure” notice.

Definition of an SSL Certificate

Defined as a Secure Sockets Layer, SSL creates an encrypted link between the server and a website in order to ensure that all data passing the server and browsers remains private. Without the SSL certificate, your website is vulnerable to scammers and hackers. Encryption ensures that only your intended recipient can read sensitive data.