A more secure web from July

Google Chrome is changing the way they display sites without a security certificate (padlock) to users in July 2018 and it will impact you.

Read more about it below or on verge.com. Short of time? Just tell me the cost and next steps.

Your site will show as ‘not secure’

All web sites without a certificate (padlock) will show ‘not secure’ in the address bar, as a persistent warning to users that anything entered into forms may be vulnerable.
Image credit: theverge.com

What’s the impact on business?

The largest issue in our opinion, is trust. You want your customers to have faith in you and trust you to deliver the service or products in a safe environment. The words ‘not secure’ can cause confusion and will certainly lower the engagements you get, and ultimately lose business. It’s our recommendation that all websites now have one.

What does the padlock mean to users?

On secure sites any data you enter in is encrypted (scrambled) and sent over the web securely. Anything typed in to forms on a site without the padlock, can be read by someone monitoring your internet connection. Hence, why caution is suggested when using an open WiFi connections (coffee shop, hotel etc…)

Some certificates verify you are who you claim to be, which gives your customers piece of mind they are dealing with a legitimate company – vital for eCommerce businesses. See ‘types of certficates’ below.

How much will it cost?

Certificates have two elements to their cost:

• A setup fee of £25 charged per installation or renewal
• The certificate itself, which varies greatly and can be over one or multiple years. Typically Free – £150 per annum

Why the range? There are different types of certificate and the hosting platform you are on plays a big part.

Shared hosting vs RDL equipment

On any equipment we maintain, we have full control to install certificates. This gives us more freedom to select the best for you (and typically make it much cheaper).

On shared hosting, the space is hired and we’re not granted control. We are therefore tied to those providers on the SSL certificates they make available (often over priced and lower quality).  You may also need to hire an IP address at £24 per annum ongoing.

We have invested in our systems and can now upgrade you from shared to our own infrastructure for £2.50 per month*. This gives you a much better service and should save you money immediately – a rare bonus.

* The upgrade my require you upgrade your emails (Read more)

Types of certificate

There are three levels of validation, which increase trust with each step up:

• Domain validation (DV) confirms you own the domain, but not who you are.
• Organisational validation (OV), confirms you own the domain and its run by your business.
• Extended validation (EV) is the top level of trust and used by most brands and shops.

Security wise they are much the same.

What do I need?

We’ll write to you with a personalised recommendation, but these thoughts may help you:

• If you have a simple site and perhaps a contact form, the lower end domain validation will be ideal
• If people transact with you via the site, a higher level of certificate may be best

Next steps

It is our strong recommendation you move towards using SSL, but is your choice. If you wish to move, then now is the time before July 2018. We will be emailing those customers impacted throughout June 2018, including personalised recommendations and cost illustrations.

We’re here to help answer any questions and make the transition as seamless as possible.