For years, Google has been pushing for a safer, more secure internet. In 2014, they made an algorithm change giving SSL secure sites a slight boost in rankings. Since then, many major sites have made their sites HTTPS encrypted.
Motherboard reported recently that Google provided a preview of an upcoming feature for Google Chrome that will mark sites that are not secure with a red X in the left side of their address bar, where the encrypted padlock would normally be for secure sites. It is actually currently available for Chrome users to try out as an experimental feature, but there are a couple of things to keep in mind:
- The feature is currently optional and not a default setting.
- It only marks sites with encryption that is not working properly, not HTTP sites.
Since it’s technically still in development, there’s not too much to worry about for now. However, there are definitely reasons why this matters to everyone from marketing agencies to the average internet user:
- Google is still pushing site security: The fact that Google is testing such a feature is no coincidence. Considering that site security has been a ranking factor since 2014, it’s a bit odd that it has taken this long for something like this to come out. Expect HTTP sites to be included in this feature eventually. Also, do not be surprised to see another algorithm change in the future. Google could make site security an even bigger ranking factor at some point.
- Other browsers are watching Chrome with a close eye: Once this feature is officially launched, the other major browsers, like Firefox and Safari, will adopt it, too. If that’s the case, every internet user would be affected by this. It’s really hard to imagine Chrome being the only browser to do this in the future.
At Comit Developers, we stay ahead of future trends instead of playing catch-up when they happen. All of our newest websites are designed to be HTTPS encrypted, and we’ve also encouraged long-time clients to get their sites up-to-date. For more information, contact Comit Developers today.
