Is my dental website secure?

In the early days of the Internet, information was typically sent to and from a web browser in plaintext, a format easily accessed and read by snooping eyes sharing your network. Only the most sensitive websites, like those accepting credit cards or showing banking information, would be encrypted so that the information could not be easily read by others.

With the advent of wireless surfing, it became easier than ever before for hackers to access your data, as it was no longer necessary to be physically connected to your network with a cable or wire.

Because of this, the industry standard has evolved to the point that it is now expected that all websites must be securely encrypted, whether they are banking and commerce sites or not. In fact, Google has announced they will be ranking unencrypted websites lower in search results, and a recent update of the Firefox web browser provides the option to completely block all insecure connection attempts. Other browsers will soon be following this policy as well.

This change will enhance the secure and safety of everyone online, but it will negatively impact business owners who do not have a secure website. How do you know if your dental website is secure?

How do I know if my website is secure?

The simplest way to check if your website is on a secure connection is to look for the padlock icon in the top of your browser window. This is typically to the left of the website address. In addition to the padlock icon, look for https:// at the beginning of your website address (you may have to click in the address bar to reveal the full address). If either the padlock or https:// are missing, your website is not secure. They must both be present.

What do I do if my website is not secure?

If you checked your website and you have found that either your padlock is missing, or your address does not start with https://, you will need to acquire an SSL security certificate from an authorized provider and install it on to your web server.

Alternatively, you can consider a new dental website from Clue Dental Marketing. All Clue website programs include secure encryption standard. Clue websites also come many other great standard features that will help your practice give a professional, modern look and also be found easier on Google.

To find out more about our current website programs and online marketing services, please contact a Clue representative today!