Is your website ready for the next Google change?

Google are now using HTTPS as a ranking signal, for now it's a lightweight signal while time is given to switch to HTTPS. But over time, it will be strengthened to meet their goal of a more secure web.

What does this mean for your website?

Google has begun the process of flagging websites without a HTTPS certificate as 'not secure'. Currently, Chrome indicates HTTP-only connections with a “neutral indicator,” marked by an information symbol. HTTPS connections, in contrast, are marked by a lock symbol next to the word “Secure". 

This change is just the first step in Google’s quest for more informed users on a more secure web. Google announced that future releases of Chrome will label HTTP pages with a red triangle to draw further attention to the unsecure nature of the connection. 

An unsecure website means your visitors and potential customers may leave your website in search for a safer and more secure browsing option.

How can your website be made secure?

WWW.ART Design Services can migrate your website over to a HTTPS Secure connection.

If your website has been built recently contact us and we will provide you with a quote to make the change.

If your website was built over 12 months ago it would be best to book in for a Website Annual Health Check as there have been other significant Google changes in this time. 

Our Website Annual Health Checks are vital to your business maintaining a healthy online presence. We are continually under-going professional development on the changes Google makes to their algorithms and industry best practice.

Our Website Annual Health Check reviews your Google rankings, on-page SEO techniques, visitor interactions and functionality requirements. During this consultation we offer insight into your online marketing and suggest ways in which you can improve your online presence.

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We would like to make customers aware of domain name registration scams that some companies are partaking in which we believe is misleading to some of our customers.

A number of companies including Domain Register Pty Ltd (ABN:127 506 807) and Domain Name Corp (ACN: 608 862 225) seem to have gained the postal address information of several domain owners and have been sending them domain registration forms disguised as domain renewal forms.

After acquiring this information, the group is sending out letters to .au domain owners which suggest they may lose their domain name unless they make a payment and renew their domain. The letters are misleading in that they are in fact asking domain owners to register a new domain name that is similar to their current domain name (a .com version of their .com.au domain for example) but the wording used in the letter sounds like the domain owner will lose their current domain name if they do not act fast and make the payment to this group.

WWW.ART would like to warn our customers against registering the .com domain equivalents. The charges per registration are disproportionately high compared to our pricing and the domain name is registered in an email address that you have no control over.

We originally heard about this scam in 2011 and the auDA wrote up this consumer alert about the group on 09/05/2011. We've recently heard reports from our customers that this group has been active and partaking in this misleading practice again.

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