SHOULD YOUR CONVERT YOUR WEBSITE FROM HTTP TO HTTPS?

What are HTTP and HTTPS?

Http is an internet protocol that is a way for two systems to communicate via the internet. It is used to transfer data from a web server to a web browser. It stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol.

However, this system of communication is not secure as all the information is sent as ‘plain text’, which can be easily hacked and read by and anyone with the knowledge of the computers and the internet. This puts valuable information like data relating to a person’s bank accounts, address, and Identity cards etc at a risk.

In order to prevent that, we now utilize HTTPS, which stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure. It secures the data transmission so that no one could hack into any private information.

What are the things under HTTPS?

HTTPS involves getting an SSL certificate or a TSL certificate. The SSL stands for Secure Socket Layer and it is a certificate which secures the connection between the web server and the web browser. The TSL stands for Transport Layer Certificate. Both of them use a PKI system, which stands for Public Key Infrastructure. It is an asymmetric system that uses two keys; a public key and a private key to encrypt the information. This only allows a content that has a private key to be decrypted only by someone who has its public key and vice-versa. In this method, even if someone does hack and collect the information, they would be unable to decrypt it as they would come out just as a bunch of randomly generated numbers.

Whether a website uses SSL certificate or not can be identified by a padlock icon in the browser’s address bar. If the padlock is present, then the website is using an SSL certificate. Furthermore, in the presence of an Extended Validation Certificate on a website, the address bar will turn green.

There are several types of SSL certificates such as:

1. Single Domain SSL certificate: This is issued for a single domain,
2. Multiple Domain SSL certificates: This is issued to a primary domain that can have over 99+ other sub-domains.
3.  Wildcard SSL certificate: This is issued to secure the URL of the website that can have unlimited sub-domains.

Benefits of HTTPS other than securing transmission:

1. Internet Users are more comfortable visiting sites that they know are secure. Hence using HTTPS would boost traffic and increase the website rankings. Even Google had announced that it would boost the rankings of the HTTPS sites.
2. HTTPS is required to use Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP). It is a system which allows the web content to load faster in mobile and tablet devices.

Things to do while converting from Http to Https website

1.  We need to purchase an SSL certificate which needs to be installed and configured.
2. Then we need to perform a full back up of the site as a precaution.
3.  After that, we need to update and convert all hard internal links and redirect all self-controlled external links within the website from HTTP to HTTPS.
4. We need to update all code libraries, scripts, and images.
5. We need to update all Content Delivery Network’s (CDN) SSL settings.
6.  We should also enable HSTS which prompts the web-browser to always use HTTPS.
7.  We need to update all landing pages and all paid search links

Conclusion:

Without the help of HTTPS, all the data transmissions become insecure and hence all e-commerce sites and all the platforms that transfer sensitive information become extremely vulnerable. In this day and age when everything is going digital and is connected to the internet, it is pertinent that all steps are taken to ensure the safety of information. Hence converting an HTTP website into an HTTPS is a must.