If you don\u2019t want the Chrome browser scaring your visitors away, here\u2019s what you need to know\u2026<\/p>\n Pages with any kind of form field<\/strong> on them should start with https<\/strong>:\/\/ instead of http:\/\/.<\/p>\n The \u201cs\u201d stands for secure and encrypts any data submitted through your website\u2019s forms.<\/p>\n If you aren\u2019t using encryption on those pages, starting in October 2017, Google Chrome users visiting your website will see an intimidating \u201cNOT SECURE\u201d message<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Yes, that means your email opt-in forms will trigger this warning too<\/strong>. That\u2019s what makes this relevant to so many site owners.<\/p>\n If your page is encrypted, Chrome will display a padlock and the word \u201cSecure\u201d next to your website URL in the address bar.<\/strong><\/p>\n Let me start by saying this.<\/p>\n If all this techy stuff makes you nervous, please call your host and ask for help. They may have even better suggestions than I do.<\/p>\n I\u2019ll be mentioning that a lot in this post, so please take my advice if you feel uncomfortable with any of these steps.<\/p>\n I\u2019m doing a lot of disclaiming here because this post is more about a heads-up than a tutorial<\/strong>. Where you host your site will largely determine your steps.<\/p>\n If you have a Google Webmaster account and your site is not yet secure, you might have received an email like this\u2026<\/p>\n It lists all the pages that will show a \u201cNOT SECURE\u201d warning in October. The page you see listed above has an email opt-in form on it.<\/p>\n Most of you do not<\/strong> need this to encrypt credit card purchases on your domain. You\u2019re probably using a 3rd party that has encryption already.<\/p>\n You are doing this to prevent annoying Chrome warnings<\/strong> on opt-in and form pages.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why this announcement impacts so many people. I mean, who doesn\u2019t have at least one page on their site with some kind of form?<\/p>\n I have dedicated hosting for my most profitable websites through LiquidWeb<\/a>\u00a0(affiliate link).<\/p>\n Many hosting plans (especially high-end plans like VPS and dedicated) offer free AutoSSL<\/strong>. See if your host has this.<\/p>\n It took all of 3 minutes for the tech guy to set it up on my server.<\/p>\n Next, I installed the\u00a0Real Simple SSL WordPress plugin<\/a> to instantly redirect all my pages from http:\/\/ to https<\/strong>.<\/p>\n If you\u2019d rather not use a plugin for redirects, you can manually set this up with your .htaccess file. Call your host and have them set it up.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n To verify that SSL is working, I went here<\/a>\u00a0to validate it.<\/p>\n Also, I\u2019m not by any means<\/strong> saying this is the best way. It\u2019s just the way I chose to do it, and it also seems to be a very popular and fast option for WordPress users.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t<\/strong> think most of you need to switch hosts or upgrade your plans \u2014 especially if you only have a few pages with opt-in boxes and other simple forms.<\/p>\n The video below also shows another FREE<\/strong> way of encrypting your website without buying an SSL certificate.<\/p>\n It\u2019s called Let\u2019s Encrypt, and here are the hosts that support it<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"How](\"https:\/\/blog.2createawebsite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/autoSSLThumbnail.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"SSL](\"https:\/\/blog.2createawebsite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/securedomain.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nDon\u2019t Be Afraid to Ask for Help<\/h2>\n
Did You Receive This Email?<\/h2>\n
![\"Chrome](\"https:\/\/blog.2createawebsite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/chromeWarning.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nHow to Get Free Encryption<\/h2>\n
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![\"Verify](\"https:\/\/blog.2createawebsite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/sslverify.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nIf Your Host Doesn\u2019t Have AutoSSL Yet\u2026<\/h2>\n