Button up your site with SSL
Enabling SSL security for your website ensures an encrypted connection between a visitor's website browser and your website. It also has the added bonus of giving your website a boost in Google search results.
How do you know if your site is secure?
Use your browser to visit your website. SSL is enabled if the full website address now starts with https:// instead of http://. You may also see a padlock next to the address.
Why do you need SSL?
Using SSL connections for your site protects information as it is transmitted between your website and your visitors. It assures users that they are visiting the genuine site and that information won't be stolen or changed as it travels between their computers and your website.
To encourage webmasters to protect their sites with SSL security and make the internet more secure overall, Google announced in 2014 that it would give a boost in search results to sites that were protected with SSL security. That marketing bonus was enough for large companies to make the switch very quickly and now small businesses are making the change too. People will see an alarming notice that your website is not secure if you haven't enabled SSL.
A few years ago, it was expensive to purchase the SSL option for your website and many small businesses didn't have the budget to make the change. But in the past couple of years, Squarespace started providing SSL for free. There is no longer any reason to balk at making the switch. I did it for my own websites and then converted all my clients' websites when I saw how easy it was to enable SSL.
How do you enable SSL for your website?
In Squarespace, as of this writing, you'll find the option in Settings - Developer Tools - SSL. Unless you have an older website, the option will probably already be set. I suggest setting both Secure and HSTS Secure to give your visitors the most protection.
Adding search properties to Google
With a Squarespace site enabled with SSL, you can optionally add properties and have Google index all four versions of your site's address, such as:
http://www.mysquarespacesite.com, http://mysquarespacesite.com, https://www.mysquarespacesite.com, and https://mysquarespacesite.com.
You'll find more information in this Squarespace Help document:
[Updated October 2020 to reflect new procedures in Squarespace.]
