What is an SSL Certificate? Does your website really need SSL?

With the rapid growth of the Internet, the new efficient ways for securing websites increase as well as hacking and other kinds of cyber attacks. Today, investing in cybersecurity means investing in the future. Experts worldwide make it possible for the web to be a safe place. As a great example, Google encourages website owners to use the HTTPS protocol. But what is an SSL certificate, and how can it help you make your website more secure? Read on to find it out!

What is an SSL certificate and how does it work?

Have you ever noticed that most URLs on the web have an “s” ending after “http”? What exactly does this mean? Let’s first discover what HTTPs stands for.

HTTP or HyperText Transfer Protocol is a protocol which browsers and web servers use for communicating and transmitting data to one another. When a visitor enters a site address on the URL bar, it sends an HTTP command to the web server and tells it that you want to access the website.

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) or TLS (Transport Layer Security) is a method of encrypting data that helps keep your information and the information of visitors to your website safe from hackers while it travels through the Internet. TLS is now the standard, however people still refer to this method as SSL.

The HTTPS protocol ensures that the sensitive data of your site's visitors is encrypted and will be transferred over a secure network so it’s difficult for others to read and process it. The “s” and green https letters in the URL signify that your website is safe. When a user submits private information like a name, password or a credit card number on your website, this data is encrypted with the special code and unique key to make it unreadable for hackers. This makes the whole process secure.

Why do you need an SSL certificate?

Here are key reasons why you need an SSL certificate on your website soon:

1. Credibility and trust. Having an SSL certificate helps build trust with your customers. It shows that the connection is secure and gives visitors the confidence that their personal information is protected and your company is trustworthy. If your site doesn’t have a certificate, most will label it as “unsafe.”
2. Website security. The SSL certificate encrypts the private information transmitted from and to your site. Be sure that such data as names, passwords, addresses, payment details and other personal information are protected from being stolen by cybercriminals.
3. SEO advantages.  HTTPs is now one of the positive ranking factors for Google which helps sites with encrypted connections boost their positions in SERP. This is because Google aims at providing visitors with secure web pages and trusted information, and having the SSL certificate increases the level of security.

Where and which SSl certificate to get?

If you run a site, but have not installed a SSL certificate yet, it’s high time to address this issue. The easiest and fastest way to get one is from your current hosting provider. Most of them offer SSL certificates these days.

All SSL certificates were paid until recently More and more businesses like Symantec and Let’s Encrypt are now providing free SSL for free. Still, it is better to use paid Certificate Authority.

Need help?

If you still are concerned about web security and have any questions, or need help installing an SSL certificate, you know how to find our website development team. Don’t miss the chance to add an extra layer of security for your users!