Does Your Website Need an SSL Certificate?

You might have recently built a new website for your business and you’re now wondering, do I need an SSL certificate for it? The simple answer would be yes. In this day and age consumers are a lot more picky and therefore less and less people are visiting websites without an SSL certificate as a security method for their own sake. If your current website does not comply with an SSL certificate, it means your users are more prone to getting their personal details stolen as they are not encrypted. 

As a business owner you would want your customers/clients to browse through your site with a peace of mind, knowing that their details will not be hacked. For instance if your consumers believe your site is not secured and they don’t trust it, there is a huge chance they will not trust in your business as a whole. This could potentially mean they will not make any purchases, making an SSL certificate an incredibly significant factor on whether your online business is successful or not. 

What is an SSL Certificate?

It stands for “Secure Sockets Layer.” SSL is the standard security technology for establishing an encrypted link between a web server and a browser. This link ensures that all data passed between the web server and browser remain private and confidential. 

Let’s say for instance, you fill out a form on a website as you have requested a call back. Well, if this particular site does not comply with an SSL certificate, a hacker could interfere and access the details you have submitted. But when you visit a website that’s encrypted with SSL, your browser will form a connection with the web server, look at the SSL certificate, then bind your browser and the server. This binding connection is secure to ensure no one besides you and the website can see or access what you type.

All companies and businesses which request personal information from a user, such as addresses or payment details, should always have an SSL certificate to protect their users from having their data stolen. 

How to Tell if Your Website is Secured?

Once you land on a website it is very easy to distinct whether it has an SSL certificate or not. The most common way to find out is by looking at the URL bar. Does the URL say “https://” or “http://”? You are already aware of what SSL is however what is HTTPS mean?

HTTPS refers to Hypertext Transport Protocol Security, and sites whose URLs start with HTTPS (as opposed to HTTP) are secured with SSL.

Most web browsers such as Google Chrome or Internet Explorer will notify you whether the website you are on is secured or not. Usually a green padlock is displayed besides the URL bar, indicating that you are safe on that particular website

How to tell if your website is secured

Does SLL Influence SEO?

If you thought that SSL was crucial due to its security methods against hackers, and therefore it affects visitors on your website then you are absolutely right. However that is not the only major impact SSL has on your website and business. For the past few years Google has indicated in its algorithms that an SSL certificate is taken under consideration when ranking results on Google’s search page. 

For instance if there are two similar businesses which both provide accurate content, well thought titles and meta descriptions and fast website speed, Google will essentially rank the website which is secured by an SSL certificate. Google has further indicated that since 2018, as a user enters a site without SSL, it will indicate them the website they’re currently on is unsecured through a warning page. This is very likely to make users who are presented with such warning page, to leave the website as it makes them feel scared for their personal safety. 

 

Conclusion

So now you know what SSL is all about, therefore the next time you are browsing through a site, you will definitely check to see if your personal information is actually safe and secured. On the other hand if you are a business owner and you have a website, not only should you protect the safety of your visitors but also getting your web developer to install an SSL certificate can mean the point of difference between you and your competitors.