Are you making this mistake with your website?
Take a close look at the image I've included with this article. If you're website is displaying this little 'i' icon, along with the 'unsecure' text your website is NOT secure. You need an SSL certificate, and you need one now.
Somewhat recently, the search engines changed the rules again and they are looking for certain things 'underneath the hood' of your website. If they're not there, you're being labeled as unsecure in a very public way, and you could be losing business, as customers and prospects lose confidence in interacting with your website.
The solution is relatively simple, but you really do need to get to it as quickly as you can. Because it's damaging your website visitors' confidence, and very likely the overall response and interaction they have with your website. Even worse, it makes you look disorganized and lost; and it affects your search engine rankings too.
I found the unsecure site pictured above when going to make a payment to a local business here in Madison. I was thrilled to discover that they offered the ability to do this. The bill had been sitting on my desk for a week while I continued to procrastinate on writing a check, addressing the envelope, locating a stamp and walking it downstairs to the out-going mail.
I went ahead and made the payment anyway because by the time I got to the actual payment form on their website, I found that this part of the process was in fact secure and knew I was OK. But I'm in the business and understand these things. Most of your websiste visitors are not. And even in spite of my expertise, I still felt reluctant to follow-through. My user-experience and my impression of this particular business was negatively impacted by this seemingly small aberration.
How many others are visiting this website every day and losing confidence in it because you look dated, out of touch, and exposed?
In this case, we're talking about a specialty practice that offers the most modern care in dentistry you can get. The CAT scan of my ailing tooth was an amazing opportunity and provided the missing information for the treatment plan.
In the old days, I would have likely been headed for another exploratory root canal instead of the relatively quick, simple, and informed decision that it was time to say goodbye to this old tooth for good.
Your website is a living, breathing communication medium that you need to nurture constantly. When you don't relate to it this way, it starts to decay, and often very quickly. Eventually, it's that old, infected, rotting tooth stealing energy and opportunity from you every single day until it's fixed.
-John
