Google Chrome will display all non-HTTPS sites as “not secure” with the release of version 68 in July 2018.  HTTPS websites will also be ranked slightly higher in Google searches when compared to HTTP sites.

Let’s Encrypt is a free certificate authority that can be used to create HTTPS websites.  This project is managed by the non-profit Internet Security Research Group (ISRG).   Let’s Encrypt works well for low and medium traffic websites.  Websites that experience a great deal of web traffic or need warranty coverage should consider a paid certificate authority.  Let’s Encrypt certificates also expire every 90 days and have to be renewed.

Certbot is a free tool made by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)  in order to automatically use Let’s Encrypt certificates on manually-administrated websites to enable HTTPS.

More information is available at:

• Let’s Encrypt – Documentation
• Let’s Encrypt – Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
• Web Hosting Providers that support Let’s Encrypt
• Let’s Encrypt Wildcard certificate support
• Let’s Encrypt – GitHub
• Let’s Encrypt Community Support