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Does your law rm’s website address start with http://or https://? e s in a web ad-
dress means that it is a secure site. Stated otherwise, Internet search- ers who review a law rm website that starts with https can be as- sured that it is the genuine loca- tion of a rm’s online presence and not a fake or spoofed site that is attempting to imitate a rm’s web page, likely for nefarious pur- poses. As explained further below, there are several very important reasons to make your rm’s web- site secure, and the conversion process is not too complicated.
e acronym http stands for hy- pertext transfer protocol. In sim- ple terms, these are the standards or procedures which govern In- ternet communications between computer servers and Internet browsers. e addition of an s in https signals and guarantees that communications between a browser and a website are en- crypted. Everyday examples you may encounter that employ https include online banking portals and many e-commerce websites. REASONS TO MIGRATE WEB- SITE TO HTTPS
e rst is increased security. Although you should still install other website security tools such as anti-virus so ware or rewalls, using https makes it much more di cult for hackers to decrypt In- ternet communications between users and your website.
e second reason is enhanced brand perception. If you were not already aware, search en- gines such as Google are starting to mark http-only website URLs as “not secure” in the Chrome browser. Inasmuch as Chrome enjoys a market share of at least 56% among Internet browsers, ac- cording to, “Browser wars 2018: Microso Edge falls behind ... Internet Explorer,” it is likely that your clients and potential cli- ents will use Chrome to nd and search your law rm’s website. Migrating to https will thus pre- vent them from seeing the phrase “notsecure”intheaddresslinefor your rm and wondering whether
your website, or worse yet-your law rm, is suspect. Instead, they will see a padlock icon that will lend credibility to your website and convey the message that you respect users’ privacy and secu- rity.
e third reason is Google Rankings. A lesser-known reason to convert from http to https is that Google is giving a slight pri- ority to https websites in search result rankings. Experts di er about the actual boost https web- sites receive, but Internet search results can o en be so large that every little bit can enhance your SEO (search engine optimization) and help make your website more visible to searchers.
STEPS TO EMPLOY HTTPS PROTOCOL
First, you will need to pur- chase a Certi cate for use with SSL (Secure Socket Layers) or TSL (Transport Layer Security) protocols. ese are sometimes referred to as SSL Certi cates or TSL Certi cates, and one can be purchased from the domain name provider you use to register your website address.
e next two steps involve ac- tivating and installing your new Certi cate on your web server, i.e., the computer that hosts your website. Next, you will need to change all of your rm’s web pages from http to https. is step can o en be performed once, or glob- ally, for all of your http pages, similar to the replace feature in a word processing program.
Finally, you will need to redirect all incoming Internet requests that are looking for your old http pages to their new https equiva- lents. e instructions are called SEO 301 redirects. Although this may not be a totally DIY project, with a little technical assistance you can accomplish it all in a few days, including a little wait time between steps.
KATHLEEN M. DUGAN SERVES AS THE LIBRARIAN AND CHIEF ADMIN- ISTRATOR OF THE CLEVELAND LAW LIBRARY IN THE CUYAHOGA COUNTY COURTHOUSE. SHE IS BOTH A LI- CENSED OHIO ATTORNEY AND PRO- FESSIONAL LIBRARIAN.
Enhance Your Law Firm Website with HTTPS
for Security
BY KATHLEEN M. DUGAN
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