Key takeaways:
- You risk losing customer trust and brand reputation when your website is not secure.
- SSL certificates are the foundation of website security.
- Website security requires constant monitoring and updates.
If you’re an active internet user, chances are you’ve encountered a ‘Not Secure’ message when accessing some websites. And if you didn’t know better, you’ve probably clicked away from these sites.
Avoiding an insecure website that flashes this warning is one of the most basic ways to protect yourself online. But if you plan to make your own website, you might wonder what a ‘Not Secure’ message means and how it affects your site visitors. Most of all, you’ll want to know how to fix it.
In this article, you will learn all about web security and how to protect your site from possible cyber threats.
What is website security?
Website security refers to the tools, settings, and routine practices that help protect your site, business data, and visitors from online threats. These safeguards may include SSL certificates, firewalls, software updates, backups, access controls, and security monitoring.
A secure website is better prepared to defend against risks such as unauthorized access, data theft, and malware. Malware can include viruses, ransomware, spyware, and other harmful programs that damage files, interrupt site operations, or collect sensitive information.
For a closer look at common threats and protective measures, read our guide to website security and how to keep your site safe.
Turn security warnings into customer confidence.
Get your SSL certificate from Network Solutions to support HTTPS, encrypt sensitive data, and help visitors trust your site.
Why is my website showing a ‘Not Secure’ message?
A website is not secure when it doesn’t have enough protection against cyber threats. The lack of a valid SSL certificate, outdated software, or issues in the code puts you and your site visitors at risk. These vulnerabilities include using outdated WordPress plugins and themes, which may have security issues that hackers can exploit.
Lack of an SSL certificate
Websites use either Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) or HTTP Secure (HTTPS) to communicate with web browsers. HTTP sends plain text data, which is vulnerable to interception, while HTTPS encrypts data using an SSL/TLS certificate. This certificate ensures that sensitive information exchanged between browsers and servers is safe from attacks.
When you visit an HTTPS-enabled site, your browser verifies the SSL/TLS certificate, establishing a secure and encrypted connection. But with non-HTTPS websites, you’ll get a ‘Not Secure’ error, notifying visitors that the site is unsafe.
To meet modern standards, site owners should make sure their certificate is properly configured and that every page, file, and third-party resource can support HTTPS. Otherwise, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and other modern browsers may warn that your connection to this site is not secure.
Outdated software
Outdated software often contains unpatched vulnerabilities with known exploits. If your website runs old plugins, themes, or CMS versions, attackers can use these weaknesses to inject malware, steal data, or take control of your site.
Mixed content
Sometimes, your homepage may appear secure, but specific pages still trigger a ‘not secure’ message. This happens when your site uses a mix of HTTPS and HTTP resources, known as mixed content.
It occurs when most of your site runs on a secure HTTPS connection, but certain elements (e.g., images, videos, JavaScript, or CSS files) load over HTTP. While your main page is encrypted, these unsecured resources leave exploitable loopholes.
How do you know if your website is secure?
We’ve established what an insecure site is. Now, you should know how to spot one.
Look for the HTTPS in the website URL and a padlock icon in the browser address bar. When you find it, the website has an SSL certificate installed, which means it uses a secure HTTPS connection to share data with its users.
However, if your website only has HTTP instead of HTTPS, your website doesn’t have a secure connection, and you need to get a secure version of your website.
You can also verify a website’s security by checking for security seals from trusted cybersecurity companies. The most important indicators are a padlock icon and HTTPS in the URL bar. If you see ‘Not Secure,’ your site lacks encryption.
Different browsers display security warnings differently:
- Chrome often shows a red ‘Not Secure’ label.
- Safari typically shows ‘Not Secure’ in the address bar.
- Firefox can block some pages entirely
If you land on an unsecured website, avoid entering personal information, login credentials, or payment details.
Most common business risks of having an insecure website
Running a website without proper security exposes data and puts your business at risk. From lost traffic to stolen information, an insecure site can lead to the following consequences:
- Search engines will flag your site as a threat
- You lose site visitors to competitors
- Sensitive information gets stolen
- Customers get easily scammed
- You lose customer trust
Let’s expound on each of them.
Search engines will flag your site as a threat
An SSL certificate informs search engines that your website meets the standard security measures. If your website doesn’t have the certificate, the site visitor will see a ‘Not Secure’ warning on their browser’s address bar.
You lose site visitors to competitors
Like you, your website visitors also try to protect themselves from cybersecurity threats. They won’t even see what you offer; they’ll quickly avoid unprotected websites when the ‘Not Secure’ warning appears. Instead, they’ll go to a secure website to avoid risk.
Sensitive information gets stolen
HTTP sites are vulnerable to threats since they don’t have SSL certificates to encrypt their data. This attracts hackers and malicious third parties to steal your and your customers’ personal details.
This is more dangerous when you own an e-commerce store and deal with your customers’ money and credit card information. Customers making purchases don’t want to give their information on a non-secure website.
Customers get easily scammed
Since hackers and malicious third parties can access sensitive data from your website, it’s easy for hackers to impersonate your business and steal sensitive information from your site visitors.
You lose customer trust
A lack of security can negatively affect your brand’s reputation and customer loyalty, resulting in long-term revenue loss and less trust. Once your customers and site visitors realize your website is untrustworthy, they’ll go to other businesses to do their transactions.
Customers will label your business as a risk and avoid dealing with you, especially those who have fallen victim to scams that impersonate your company.
6 ways to protect your site
A secure website is essential to website owners because it attracts more visitors. While changing from an HTTP website to its secure version usually fixes the problem, you can increase your site’s security with a few extra steps.
Secure your website using the following tips.
- Install an SSL certificate
- Update your site constantly
- Check your web server
- Back up your website’s files
- Invest in other site security tools and services
- Test your security measures
1. Install an SSL certificate
A Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate is a code that encrypts the connection between your web browser and a web server while authenticating your website’s identity. With an SSL certificate installed, you can keep your internet connections secure and prevent cyber criminals from reading or modifying any information shared on a website.
According to Michael Chattan, Senior Director of Domain Operations at Network Solutions, SSLs are a “must-have in 2025 for browser trust and customer peace of mind.”
2. Update your site constantly
Outdated software can leave security gaps that attackers may exploit. Keep your content management system, themes, plugins, and other site components current to reduce risk and keep your website running smoothly.
If you don’t keep up with new ways to protect your site, you’ll constantly fall victim to many cyberattacks. Updating your site will help you with the following:
- Patch known security flaws
- Add useful features
- Protect customer and business data
- Improve speed and stability
- Maintain compatibility across tools and browsers
For more information, explore these easy ways to update your business website to keep your site secure and current.
3. Check your web server
Your website server stores all of the important data from your website and restricts access from unauthorized personnel. Check your web server’s security protocols. Your web hosting provider should have a firewall for your server, DNS security, and Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) protection. Otherwise, you need to switch to a more reliable web hosting provider.
4. Back up your website’s files
Your website’s protective measures shouldn’t stop at preventing an attack. You also need to be prepared against a successful cyberattack, and you don’t want to lose all your important files in one hit. Back up your website regularly so you can restore important files after a cyberattack, server failure, or accidental deletion.
You can manage backups yourself or use an automatic website backup service. Follow our guide on how to back up a website for step-by-step instructions and best practices.
5. Invest in other site security tools and services
You can use more security tools and services to ensure your site’s highest level of protection. Our SiteLock scans your website for potential malware, removes malicious content, and fixes risks and vulnerabilities.
Read also: Stay cyber safe on the go with a small business cybersecurity solution.
6. Test your security measures
Systematically review your protective measures to find any holes in your safety protocol. You can also conduct tests at certain intervals to check for any risks. Your tools and services may provide security, but it’s always better to manually inspect any oversights.
Additionally, use strong, unique passwords for all website administration accounts. You may also educate website users about basic security measures, like recognizing phishing attempts and avoiding suspicious links.
Submit your website to Google Search Console
After observing the security measures above, try to submit your website to Google Search Console (GSC) to help monitor security. This helps Google know you have a secure website and can help improve your website’s visibility in search results.
Here are general steps to submit your site to GSC:
- Go to Google Search Console and sign in with your Google account.
- Click ‘Add Property’ and enter your website’s URL.
- Verify your website ownership by uploading an HTML file to your website’s root directory or adding an HTML tag to the site’s homepage.
- Submit your XML sitemaps so Google can find and review your website’s important pages.
For more details, check our guide to mastering Google Search Console.
Frequently asked questions
Your site likely has mixed content, meaning some resources (like images or scripts) still load over HTTP. Updating all links to HTTPS will fix the issue.
Some web pages or elements on your site aren’t encrypted, even if the main site is. Running a mixed content scan can help you find and fix them.
It leaves your visitors vulnerable to data theft and damages your site’s reputation. You’ll also lose traffic and search visibility over time.
Look for the padlock icon in your browser or test your site with free tools like SSL Labs’ SSL Test.
Free SSL certificates like Let’s Encrypt are safe and provide strong encryption. Paid options mainly add extra features and support for businesses.
Upgrade your website security with Network Solutions
A ‘Not Secure’ warning on your website not only deters visitors but also puts you and your customers at risk. To tighten your website security, utilize SSL encryption, regularly update your website, back up your website’s files, and invest in other site security tools and services. By taking these proactive measures, you can fortify your website’s defenses and safeguard your business and your users from cyber threats.
Get a step ahead against these cyberattacks. Secure your website with Network Solutions today and give your customers a safe, seamless experience.
