Google’s Impending SSL Rule

HEADS UP: Sites without a valid SSL certificate will begin being marked as “insecure” starting this October.

Google Finally Announces a Date for SSL Implementation

Over a year ago Google announced that it would be giving preferential treatment to sites with valid SSL certificates. Earlier this year they followed up that notice with an announcement that soon any website without a valid SSL certificate would be marked as “insecure” in both Google search results and when browsing in Chrome.

Google made it clear the rollout implementation of the new SSL rule would begin with sites that processed transactions or held private visitor data. They have now made the official announcement that their rollout to ALL SITES, regardless of site type, is set to begin this October.

What Do You Need to Do to Comply with Google’s SSL Rule?

• Check to see if your site has an SSL certificate installed

Look in the address bar of your favorite web browser. If you see a padlock next to your website name you are good to go. Additionally, your full web address will begin with https instead of http.



• No padlock?

It’s time to get moving. You may choose to have a developer or IT professional handle your SSL changeover or (if you are savvy) give it a go yourself.

What is the process of installing a SLL certificate

Installing an SSL certificate on your website is a multi-step process. First, you must obtain the certificate (usually through your hosting provider). Some hosting providers offer certificates at no charge, while others will charge a yearly fee of typically between $50 – $150 depending on the type of certificate you choose.

After you’ve acquired your certificate, it has to be installed, which usually involves verification of the domain you are assigning the certificate to. Regardless of if you are doing this yourself or have hired someone to do it for you, the official owner of the domain will likely have to verify by email that they still own the site.

Once the verification process is complete, the certificate will be applied to the registered domain. Now comes the fun part – just because a site has a certificate, does not necessary mean it is SSL compliant. You’ll have to go through your entire site and update all references to links, images, documents, and any resources to ensure they begin with https and not http. Any item left as http will cause your site not to be compliant and marked insecure.

Once all your resources have been updated to https, you’ll need to apply a redirect from your old site (at http://yoursitename.com) to your new site (https://yoursitename.com) to ensure every visitor is being routed to your secure site.

Unfortunately, since Google treats the http and https versions of your site as different sites, you’ll need to make sure you update your Google Analytics and Google Search Console with your updated information.

That Made My Head Explode

If all that made you resort to drinking, don’t fret. If you don’t feel like undertaking the SSL transition yourself, just hit us up in the web form below and we’ll be happy to take care of the transition for you. But don’t delay! Come October, more than 75% of website owners will be scrambling to get their sites secured.