A broken SSL can be detrimental to your business

Google made the importance of HTTPS as a ranking factor towards the end of 2014. SSLs are increasingly important in building your web presence and more and more sites are adopting HTTPS as standard.

What is a broken SSL?
Very often, just a small oversight is to blame. Commonly, items - such as an image - are referenced on a secure page but that item is not located in a secure location, which breaks the secure layer. Two of the most common issues we often find with customers is the Private Key not matching the Certificate and sometimes a certificate authority (CA) being wrong for the Certificate signature. These are often simply administrative errors that are easily solved, but only if you know about them. So making sure your SSL works correctly should not only be a task when you install a new SSL certificate but also a routine maintenance check. Time well spent for the reassurance that all is well with the security of your website.

How can I check if my SSL is broken?
There are a number of sites that provide checker tools that can help you determine if your SSL is configured correctly. For example GlobalSign provides a simple SSL checking tool that runs in minutes once you have input your URL. Click here  to check your SSL on the GlobalSign site.

The importance of HTTPS
According to a small Google study, 80% of those who have made the switch to HTTPS are actually missing out on the benefits with HTTP versions of their URLs showing in search results instead of the secure HTTPS version. Be aware that in the eyes of Google the HTTP version of your website is a completely different site from your HTTPS version.

This Google developers video explains more...

Google is taking web security ever more seriously and the value of HTTPS will continue to have an increasing impact on the ever changing algorithm.

Lacking an SSL for your site? As evidenced above you could be affecting your search ranking and losing out on potential customers, especially as more and more internet users become aware of Google’s preference for HTTPS and it becomes default on heavy traffic sites. Can you afford to stay HTTP? We supply a wide range of SSL certificates, contact us for more information.