You have probably noticed that little padlock icon in your browser when you visit a website. Maybe you have wondered what it means, or whether your own website has one. This guide explains what that padlock is, why it matters, and what you should do if your site is missing it. What HTTPS actually means HTTPS stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure. Do not worry about remembering that. All you need to know is that it is the secure version of the system your website uses to send information back and forth between your site and your visitors. Think of it like this. When someone fills in a contact form on your website, that information travels across the internet to reach you. Without HTTPS, it travels in plain text, a bit like sending a postcard. Anyone who intercepts it along the way can read it. With HTTPS, that same information is scrambled (encrypted, meaning turned into unreadable code) before it leaves the visitor's browser, so only your website can unscramble it at the other end.…