SSL Warning from Google/Webtools

I’ve had an SSL Warning from Google/Webtools: Googlebot noticed your site uses an SSL certificate which may be considered invalid by web browsers

We’ve noticed an increase in people receiving these emails from Google as their algorithms change. Essentially Google has detected a link to your site that is trying to connect on an https (SSL secured) connection. If you do not have an SSL or currently use https with a self signed certificate and have received this warning, it is likely due to Google indexing an HTTPS page on your website, and when trying to crawl it noticed that the certificate wasn't correct. In other words - there might be a link either in your sitemap, site or externally that is pointing to a page with the URL that starts https://. In the email/warning that Google sent they will tell you the page(s)/domain that is affected. You’ll need to look to resolve this as Google will take a domains trust rating into consideration for SEO purposes.

How do I fix it?

You have a few options to fix this warning:

1. If you do have legitimate links that use https, or you would like data to be securely transmitted, you can install an SSL for your site. SSL’s start at a very affordable £35 plus VAT a year - have a look at the different types on offer here: https://nimbushosting.co.uk/ssl-certificates/
2. Find out where the https pages are being linked from by using something like Google Webmaster Tools, and make or request that they be changed to the non https versions.
3. Use your sites .htaccess file to direct https:// traffic over to the http:// variant. The code needed will vary from site to site, but if you have a fairly standard apache setup, you’ll need to add something along the lines of:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} on
RewriteRule (.*) http://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [R=301,L]

I’ve decided I would like to install an SSL on my site to encrypt my data transfers - which should I get?

We’ve got a range of SSL’s available depending on the type of use, but broadly speaking we recommend:

• Rapid SSL - £35 plus VAT per year – ideal for encrypting basic details/logins.
• SSL123 - £80 plus VAT per year – ideal for encrypting personal information such as addresses.
• Web Server SSL - £125 plus VAT per year – ideal for encrypting personal information such as payment details.

You can either purchase your SSL via our site at https://nimbushosting.co.uk/ssl-certificates/ or you can drop us a line on 0208 0909664 or [email protected].