How to secure your Squarespace website & why you need to!
Have you ever noticed when you land one someone’s site, there’s a little lock icon next to their website URL? This little lock icon means that their website has a valid and active SSL certificate. But sometimes, this little lock can change into a “Not Secure” warning, which is a big no-no!
What does that actually mean? Honestly, unless you’re into this sort of stuff (you’re probably not, it’s pretty boring), there is no reason that I need to go into serious detail about what an SSL certificate is.
But I do need to go into detail about why you really need to have it, and what can happen if you don’t have it. And of course I will show you how to activate it (with a click of a button) in Squarespace!
What is SSL, the short version:
SSL makes sure the connection between your browser and the website you are on is secure.
You can tell if the SSL is active if the site URL begins with https:// (not just http://) and there is a little green padlock next to the URL. If you click on this padlock, it should say something like “connection is secure”.
Why is it important?
It’s really important for security of your data and your website visitors data. It makes sure things like login details or credit card information is handled securely so no one can get their hands on it. It makes sure that forms and messages sent through your website can’t be tampered with.
So, obviously it’s important for security. But it’s also important for your SEO ranking.
Google actually punishes websites that don’t have an active SSL certificate by pushing them down in the rankings. So if you weren’t convinced before, this should be enough to get you moving!
Ok, how do I make my site secure?
If you’re using Squarespace, you’re in luck my friend! In classic Squarespace fashion, they’ve made this as easy as possible. In fact, they handle almost all of it, all you need to do is press a button.
Login to you Squarespace account and select the website you need to make secure.
Head to Settings > Advanced > SSL
Make sure you select Secure and HSTS Secure.
That’s it! How simple is that? And it makes such a huge difference to your website, so don’t skip this easy but essential step!
If you want a better explanation of what SSL really is, how it works and more details on the topic, check out this post by Squarespace all about SSL.
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