Ben Shaw, account director, Adtrak

Leading digital agency, Adtrak is advising landscaping businesses to evaluate their website security after a new update introduced by Google this month has seen a number of sites classed as unsecure.

A change in Google policy now means that any site which starts with an HTTP rather than an HTTPS in the address bar will be deemed ‘not secure’.

The ‘not secure’ warning will only appear when using a Chrome browser. However, with an estimated 56% of worldwide web users using Chrome, the impacts are set to be considerable.

As a result, it is now vitally important that landscapers check that their website is securely coded, particularly if they handle online transactions and other confidential information. By not implementing these changes soon, businesses could receive a lower ranking on Google, a reduced number of visitors and ultimately missed business opportunities.

Adtrak has been working with landscapers to ensure their websites are secure. Ben Shaw, an account director at Adtrak said: “In layman’s terms, Google’s HTTPS update will affect all websites whose URL begins https://, rather than https://. All website URLs that start with https:// will be marked as ‘not secure’ in Chrome’s address bar.

“The warning is expected to have a highly detrimental effect on user confidence and experience. Not only should HTTP website owners anticipate a reduced number of visitors to their site and an increased bounce rate – which refers to the number of people who visit a website but then leave after only viewing one page – but the Google update could also negatively impact Google rankings and, ultimately website leads.”

Depending on the size of the website, and the scope of the project, making the move from HTTP to HTTPS could be quite a challenge for some businesses.

Ben added: “It is incredibly important for businesses with a HTTP site to prioritise migrating to HTTPS. For e-commerce and lead generation sites, in particular, it is a must, as a ‘not secure’ warning is certain to adversely affect sales. In order to preserve customer confidence and Google rankings, be sure to convert to HTTPS as soon as possible.”

Following the Google and Chrome update this month, a full roll out is expected across all HTTP websites by September 2018.

For more information on Adtrak visit www.adtrak.co.uk.