Google Chrome to mark non-HTTPS sites as ‘not secure’

In 2018, Google announced it would identify all sites that had not migrated to HTTPS as “not secure” in the Chrome browser.

Google had already been pushing webmasters to make the change to non-secure websites for years – including hinting at a small ranking boost to further incentivize the shift.

According to Google, in 2018:

• Over 68% of Chrome traffic on both Android and Windows was protected
• Over 78% of Chrome traffic on both Chrome OS and Mac was protected
• 81 of the top 100 sites on the web were using HTTPS by default

Read all about it in Effective July 2018, Google’s Chrome browser will mark non-HTTPS sites as ‘not secure’.

Also on this day

Google launches revamped Search Ads 360

2022: It supported Performance Max and Discovery campaigns, included a refreshed UI and greater support for other search engines.

Google adds Journeys to Chrome: search your history by topic

2022: The feature made it easier for users to revisit topics they searched for days or weeks ago.

Bing News PubHub moves to Bing Webmaster Tools

2022: This made it easier for for publishers who had already verified their sites with Bing Webmaster Tools to access the Bing News PubHub features.

Google publishes new manual actions aimed at Google News and Discover penalties

2021: Google published a whole new set of manual actions around Google News and Google Discover policies and guidelines.

Yelp introduces Keyword Boosting, rolls out Custom Location Targeting to all advertisers

2021: The feature let business owners optimize their ads for specific keywords

Effective July 2018, Google’s Chrome browser will mark non-HTTPS sites as ‘not secure’

2018: After years of pushing for ‘secure by default’ websites, Google would identify insecure sites in the Chrome browser beginning mid-Summer.

Google Search Console request indexing limit removed from interface

2018: Google wouldn’t comment on why quota details in the fetch tool were no longer displaying.

GoDaddy site builder now integrated with Google My Business

2018: Much of the content creation and verification process was automated.

India’s competition regulator fines Google $21.1 million for ‘search bias’ in travel results

2018: India’s Competition Commission said Google disadvantaged “verticals trying to gain market access.”

Google Data Studio now connects to Search Console

2017: Marketers could build reports that included only Search Console data or combine it with other sources to compare paid versus organic traffic trends, for example.

Bing Ads rolling out list exclusions for retargeting ads

2017: Audience exclusions would be available in all markets.

Google: 82% Of Super Bowl Ad Searches Happened On Mobile, Up From 70%

2016: Ads drove more than 7.5 million incremental searches for Super Bowl advertisers.

Yahoo To Close BOSS (Build Your Own Search Service) Next Month

2016: Launched on July 10, 2008, the service would close officially on March 31, 2016.

French Privacy Agency’s Site Crashes, After Demanding Link From Google France Home Page

2015: The traffic seemed to have slowed and sometimes crashed the CNiL website.

Yahoo Turns To Yelp To Beef Up Local Search

2015: Yahoo would reportedly start incorporating local content and listings from Yelp into its main search results.

Confirmed: Google Removes “Not Selected” From Webmaster Tools

2013: Because it “was causing more confusion than actually helping webmasters with their sites.”

Search In Pics: Googlers Must Wash Hands Before Coding, Facebook & Google Accident & Dan Russell & Duane Forrester

2013: The latest images showing what people eat at the search engine companies, how they play, who they meet, where they speak, what toys they have, and more.

Interesting Quotes From Google’s Search Lead, Amit Singhal

2012: Some insights into Singhal’s role at Google, how Google tested new algorithms, and the future for Google search.

Survey: People Largely Negative About Google’s Personalized Search Results

2012: The majority of respondents expressed ambivalence or outright dissatisfaction about Google’s more personalized search results.

Google Screenwise: New Program Pays You To Give Up Privacy & Surf The Web With Chrome

2012: Google was quietly taking requests from web users who wanted to get paid to surf the web using the Chrome browser while sharing data with Google. 

Why Does Microsoft’s Bing Search Engine Hate Rick Santorum?

2012: Santorum’s Bing problem, as with his Google problem, wasn’t stopping many Republican voters from selecting him over other candidates.

Bing Testing New Search Results Design

2012: The new design seemed a lot cleaner, fresher and more organized compared to the older design.

Apple’s Siri Drives 25 Percent Of Wolfram|Alpha Queries

2012: However, the company received no branding on those results.

Demand Media & Being “The Best Click” On Google

2011: Demand’s chief revenue officer brought screenshots and examples to prove they were generating great content to show up on Google. Additional coverage of FM’s Signal LA event:

Bing Search Volume Up 29% In 2010, Google Up 13%, comScore Says

2011: Meanwhile, Experian Hitwise said Bing-Powered Engines Grew 6.5% in January

Android Closing On BlackBerry As Verizon iPhone Launch Approaches

2011: 63.2 million people owned smartphones in the U.S., a penetration level of 27%.

Google Translate iPhone app: A Small Glimpse at the Future Of Search

2011: “It’s your very own Babel Fish replacing frantic searches through a beat up translation dictionary when you’re in a small town in Estonia and need to find a bathroom.”

Yahoo BOSS Moves From Yahoo’s Index to Microsoft’s, Adds Pay Structure

2011: The fee structure would be based on query volume.

Google Building Instant Translator Companion

2010: You would speak to it in any language, Google would then convert that and spit it back in the language of choice.

Report: Google To Announce A More Social Gmail

2010: Google was about to announce a new social feature inside Gmail that allowed users to see (and add to) a stream of status updates from friends and connections. What could go wrong?

Cambodia Calls Google Maps “Misleading” Over Thailand Border Dispute

2010: Cambodia was the latest country upset with Google over how they drew a border on Google Maps.

Google Warns Chinese Knockoff To Stop Using Google Logo

2010:  Google sent a warning to the Chinese Google knockoff, Goojje to stop using their logo.

Ask.com Puts Its NASCAR Sponsorship Back In Garage

2010: Ask spent about $15 million on its one year of NASCAR-related sponsorships.

Microhoo At One Week 1: Decision Nears? Yahoo Brand To Survive?

2008: There were rumors that Yahoo was nearing a decision, while Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer seemed to want to encourage his potential new employees that a Yahoo brand would survive.

Yahoo Live Launches – Online Video, Um, Live

2008: Yahoo Live let you broadcast live video.

Live Search: There For Skiers And Snowboarders Everywhere

2008: Live Search added Instant Answers for snow conditions at ski resorts.

Rumor: Google To Acquire Plaxo

2008: Spoiler alert: It never happened. 

Why The SEO Folks Were Mad At You, Jason

2007: And follow-up: Diggers Can’t Handle The Truth (About SEO)

Will Google Remain ‘The Start Page For The Internet’?

2007: Thoughts on a “post-search” future.

YouTube Founders & Investors Cash In Big Time

2007: Sequoia Capital, the company that funded YouTube, received 941,027 shares that were worth about $442 million.

Google Maps Sticker Spotted In London

2007: The “find us on Google Maps” sticker was a UK-only campaign.

Roundup Of Feedback On Yahoo’s Panama Release

2007: A collection of blog posts, forum posts and opinion on Yahoo’s new quality score factor.

Yahoo Pipes: Letting Non-Programmers Make Mashups & More

2007: It was an “interactive feed aggregator and manipulator.”

The State of Search Engine Marketing 2006

2007: It was thriving. North American advertisers spent $9.4 billion on in 2006, a 62% increase over 2005.

Past contributions from Search Engine Land’s Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)

These columns are a snapshot in time and have not been updated since publishing, unless noted. Opinions expressed in these articles are those of the author and not necessarily Search Engine Land.

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