The Importance of an SSL Certificate

May 31, 2018

A Secure Sockets Layer, or simply SSL, is a standard security protocol that is used for establishing encrypted links between a web server and a browser. The purpose of an SSL is to ensure that all data transmitted between a web server and browser is encrypted, basically making it safe and secure.

You can tell when a website is secure by looking at the browser address bar, if there is a green padlock there, the website is safe. Another way to check is to see if the website uses ‘https’ or ‘http’, the ‘s’ at the end stands for ‘secure’, meaning that domains that have this are protected.

When Should you get an SSL Certificate?

Whatever your business is, it is still highly recommended that your website is secure for its customers. Especially in the following instances:

• If you are selling products on your website. This is because your website will be receiving a lot of sensitive information, such as credit card numbers. An SSL Certificate will protect your customers details.
• If your website uses a login or register areas. Your website will need to be secure as your customer’s login details will need protecting, especially their emails and passwords.
• If your website gathers any information via forms. You could be dealing with confidential information, so it is ideal that you have an SSL certificate to make sure their information is safe.

However, if your website is just a blog or portfolio, it is not required that you have one as you aren’t handling any data, but you may want one to improve your rankings on Google.

Advantages of an SSL Certificate

There are many advantages to having an SSL certificate on your website, so here are just a few:

Encrypts Information – This is the major purpose of an SSL certificate, but this means that information can only be read and understood by the intended parties. This means that it inserts random characters into the original information, rendering it unreadable to anyone without the encryption key. Resulting in customers feeling safer when entering information on your website.

Improves Customer Trust – By providing your customers with security for all their information and giving them ways to verify that security improves confidence and helps with creating a positive buying experience.

SEO Rankings – Google tend to rank secure websites better, therefore it is a great item to add to your SEO checklist.

From working with a variety of different clients, who all have different websites, we can say that it is a great addition to any website.

If you’re interested in adding an SSL certificate to your website, or want to know more about any of the services we provide, simply call our friendly team who would be happy to help you.