SSL certificate explained: all you need to know about SSL.
Do you buy clothes, books, or pizza, book holidays, or access your bank account – online? Did you enter your credit card details without a second thought, or did you check the site was safe? Visitors to your site do the same – check it’s secure. You do you have an SSL certificate, don’t you?
Why you need an SSL certificate
You know your website’s safe, but do your customers?
You’ve spent time and money promoting your product as being dependable, beneficial, and worth purchasing. But no SSL certificate. Fancy marketing campaigns are all very well, but when you’re asking visitors to enter their credit card details – you have to show them it’s safe. An unprotected website invites hacking and data stolen from online transactions.
A 2014 survey carried out by GlobalSign, a web-trust SSL Certificate Authority, showed that 84% of online end users wouldn’t buy from a website if their data was sent over an unsecured connection. 47% said that they check site security before entering personal information. They know what security indicators to look for – does your site have them?
What an SSL certificate brings to your business
Customers!!!
An SSL certificate authenticates your website, the same way a passport proves your identity. A padlock icon followed by HTTPS in your site URL indicates to visitors that your site is safe. A green address bar with an Extended Validation SSL certificate is even stronger proof of a secure site. Visitors see these security indicators and know that any information they share on your site will be private and safe.
Security indicators plus a site seal confirm the trustworthiness of your website.
Increased trust = increased conversion rate.
How an SSL certificates protects you and your customers
An SSL certificate secures online communication. Protecting things like web browsing, email, messaging, and online transactions. SSL security protects user accounts against hijacking and phishing attacks.
- Encrypted online communication is secure.
- If there’s an attempt to corrupt or change data, it’s detected.
- An SSL authenticated website shows users they’re dealing with a genuine site.
As an online retailer, it’s your responsibility to protect information customers share with you. An SSL certificate scrambles the traffic between you and your customers, protecting it. Without SSL, any computer can intercept and steal data from your online communication.
Which websites need SSL protection?
All of them!!!
Some sites are more vulnerable to attack. Financial institutions, big-name brands, and government agencies are obvious targets for hackers. The payment card industry (PCI) insists on SSL security for any website that asks for credit card details.
Sites needing SSL also include those asking for email addresses, passport numbers, login forms that need passwords, or subscription pages for newsletters, mailing lists, etc.
HTTP vs HTTPS – where does Google stand?
Google now uses HTTPS as a ranking signal. It wants to know it can trust your website before it places it in search results. This means your website’s page ranking will improve if you have an SSL certificate. Not a big surprise as Google has always favoured sites that are trusted and certified.
Is this big news? Considering the fact that Google is usually so secretive about its ranking factors, yes, it’s huge!
SSL certificates at EuroDNS
We partnered with GlobalSign to provide four strengths of SSL certificate. From basic up to super-strong protection, depending on your business needs. If you’re a EuroDNS customer, you’ll get a free Alpha SSL certificate with every domain name you register. SSL certificates are an easy and cost-effective way for you to secure your website and your online transactions, and protect your customers.
