As of July 2018, the new Chrome browser version 68 will be coming into play. This means that many changes will need to be made in order to ensure that you are fully prepared for the update. As a web development company, we too will be affected, but for those who aren’t yet aware of the changes coming into force, we are here to help.
With the new update, all sites will be affected and any that are not registered as HTTPS will be deemed unsafe. But if you are still wondering what all this actually means, we have the answer.
What is it and What Will Happen?
Many current sites operate under HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) but Google's aim is to improve security. This means that websites must operate under HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) in order to be deemed safe. However, to do this, they would need an updated and registered SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) Certificate. Many users have already started to transition towards HTTPS with a reported 81 out of the top 100 sites now using this as default.
According to statistics, 68% of Chrome traffic on both Windows and Android is now protected and 78% of traffic on Mac and Chrome OS is also now protected. This change will be happening for Chrome and we expect other browsers to soon follow suit.
How Will it Affect You?
While this may seem like a relatively small change, it has the potential to cause complete chaos. If a site comes up as being unsecure, users are likely to avoid it which could have a dramatic effect on traffic.
Similarly, if a site handling online payments is seen under HTTP then people may avoid it due to security concerns. However, we also predict that non-compliant websites will experience a drop in rankings as Google is more likely to prefer secure sites and list them higher up the search results.
What You Need to Do
Luckily, there are certain things that you can do to avoid being affected. The first is to install SSL on your server and double check that it’s working by setting up a redirect. If your site is set up as HTTPS then there should be no issues. However, you will also need to ensure that any additional elements on the site such as images, style sheets and iframes are delivered via HTTPS. This is because the browser may mistakenly think that the site is unsafe when it sees these links.
This is something that will affect many in the world of web and as previously stated, this may have the potential to cause complete chaos further down the line. But as a web development company, we pride ourselves on keeping up to date with the latest changes in order to provide the best results for you. If you would like more information, please don't hesitate to get in touch or give us a call today on 01733 890836.