It always floats my boat to find tools that analyze and track how I’m doing in business … whether it’s my website, social media sites, email marketing system, whatever. It’s always good to know how these platforms and systems are doing so you can keep what works and fix what doesn’t.

I learned about two very cool analyzing tools last week. One of them  tests the Configuration of your SSL Certificate. It does an indepth analysis of the configuration of any SSL web server on the public Internet. It will let you know if you have an SSL Certificate, and if it’s trusted. Very, very important info to know right now since Google started cracking down on Secure websites October 1 of this year.

As I just recently went through the process of flipping my site from HTTP to HTTPS, I was super happy to see I received an A+ on all four servers that were tested.

Speaking of secure websites, I want to remind everyone that the October deadline for any website taking payments or with a form collecting data of any kind (yes, opt-in forms count!) to have a secure HTTPS site has passed! As of October 1, Google has begun penalizing websites that are not secure, and don’t display that coveted Green Padlock. 

You really DO want that green padlock in front of your URL!

For those websites not sporting the green padlock indicating it’s a secure site, the “NOT SECURE” warning will appear in Chrome for any and all sites collecting data from viewers, as well as those visiting the site using an incognito window.

You may not be aware, but this is actually the second Chrome penalty deadline this year. The first was a February deadline for any sites collecting passwords, such as member site logins, and even admins logging in to their sites. And unfortunately, there will be more penalties to come.

If you need more information, here is an article that lays out what you need to know!

If you have any questions about SSL Certificates or flipping your site from HTTP to HTTPS, let me know. I have a couple of great resources I can recommend.

The other cool tool analyzes your Facebook Page and rates things like engagement, content, types of posts, shares, fans, that type of thing.

It’s obvious my page could have ranked a little higher in a few areas, but it provides great information that will help me improve my page overall and increase engagement.