NTG STUDIO WEBShort answer
The "not secure" warning appears when your site doesn’t use HTTPS, meaning it has no active SSL certificate. Visitors lose trust, forms become risky and Google favours HTTPS sites. Most serious hosts provide a free certificate; then the whole site must redirect to HTTPS and links must be fixed.
Key takeaways
- The padlock is now a minimum, not a luxury
- A free SSL certificate is enough for most sites
- Every http address must redirect to https
- Watch expiry: an expired certificate shows a red warning
Does your site show "not secure" next to the address? For a visitor, that’s an alarm bell. For a client about to fill in a form or pay, it’s often the end of the visit.
What HTTPS means
HTTPS encrypts the exchange between the visitor’s browser and your site. Without it, information entered (name, phone, message, password) travels in plain text. The SSL certificate enables this encryption and shows the padlock.
Why it’s essential
- Trust: browsers clearly flag non-secure sites.
- Forms and payments: without HTTPS they’re exposed.
- SEO: Google favours HTTPS sites.
- Modern features: geolocation, installing on phones, payments: many require HTTPS.
NTG Studio Web does it for you (Security & hosting). Free 30-minute audit, reply within 24 hours, payment by Orange Money or MTN MoMo.
How to switch to HTTPS
- Activate a certificate with your host: most offer Let’s Encrypt for free, with auto-renewal.
- Redirect every http:// address to https:// (301 redirect), and choose a single version (with or without "www").
- Fix internal links and images still loaded over http, which cause "mixed content" warnings.
- Update Google Search Console, the sitemap, Google Analytics and your listings.
Common problems
- Expired certificate: full-screen red warning. Turn on auto-renewal.
- Certificate for the wrong name: it covers "www" but not the non-www version, or vice versa.
- Mixed content: no padlock despite the certificate, because of images or scripts over http.
- Two versions of the site reachable on http and https: redirect them.
What we do
All our sites go live on HTTPS with auto-renewing certificates, a single redirect to the official address and security headers. If your current site shows "not secure", it’s usually fixed in under a day.
Frequently asked questions
Do SSL certificates cost money?
Most sites can use a free certificate (Let’s Encrypt or the host’s own), renewed automatically. Paid certificates mostly serve special needs.
Does switching to HTTPS lose SEO?
No, if old addresses 301-redirect to the new ones and Search Console is updated.
My site shows a red warning, why?
The certificate has probably expired or doesn’t match the domain name. Contact your host or provider quickly.
Founder of NTG Studio Web in Douala. Master’s in international public law, IBM Data Analytics and Anthropic AI Fluency certified. He designs websites and visibility strategies for African businesses. Learn more →