Today’s consumers and web visitors demand more protection than ever from the prying eyes of hackers and intrusive data breaches when they enter your site. If they don’t see the HTTPS sign, they’ll probably leave, never to return. So how do you go about protecting information and earning the absolute trust of your online visitors?

It’s called an SSL certificate, and what it does is encrypt data between a server and a web browser. Until recently, SSL was only required for sites that accepted credit cards and other financial information. However, the rules of the game have changed dramatically, with more online platforms and service providers choosing to comply. Many of the most informed and technologically savvy web visitors insist on safe online interaction.

Without HTTPS, Google Chrome is already alerting visitors that any information they provide, including name and email, is not secure. This obviously raises a red flag right at the front end of the engagement with the website in question and can drive visitors away.

In fact, if you haven’t checked your website for HTTPS in the URL, you could already be at great risk. What’s even worse for any website owner is that their search rankings can take a hit and slow down their traffic altogether. Traffic is at the heart of any online business and if you don’t have enough of it, it can negatively affect revenue, billing and profit.

In early 2017, Google began flagging sites without the SSL protocol, which is the international signal for website security. They even intend to get a lot harder starting in 2018, if your URL doesn’t start with HTTPS. You will no doubt feel the penalties because web security is no longer a luxury, but an absolute necessity, especially in the widespread occurrence of cybercrime and online fraud. Hackers are always trying to stay a chapter ahead of the game and looking for loopholes in a site’s security.

Let’s all be real here and let’s face it, you’ve worked hard to build your business through an online platform, so why risk losing it? The reduction or loss of traffic and income is really nonsense just because you passed up the opportunity to secure your site today. Before you know it, and without SSL protection, your business could be in an irreversible downward spiral.

Try to take full control right now and consciously prevent that from happening. Your site needs an SSL certificate fix, and you need to fix it fast. Don’t be like other uninformed competitors who may risk your business or the safety of online visitors any longer.

Now is the time to send the hackers and prying eyes packing up and get yourself a permanent solution to a headache that won’t go away on its own any time soon. The solution could be simple or somewhat complicated. The point is though, if you are not sure, just check with a reliable and affordable SSL certificate service provider.

You need to fix your site’s security today, before it’s too late.