Over recent years there has been an on-going debate on how important SSL certificates are and if they are necessary on every website. The search engine Google stated last year that it gives secure websites more priority in search engine results than non-secure websites to help encourage safe and secure websites across the web.
With the latest version of Google Chrome users will now be alerted to an insecure website if it has data capture forms and no SSL certificates installed, it is planned to roll this out across all websites whether or not they are ecommerce or have data capture forms on them.
Other browsers like Safari and Firefox have also introduced similar updates and warnings.
What is an SSL certificate?
SSL stands for secure sockets layer and is a certificate that verifies the identify of a website and encrypts sensitive data sent from it, for example all passwords, personal information, credit card numbers and other submitted content can not be intercepted or read by any individual than it was intended for.
SSL certificates work on an encrypt and decrypt method to lock the information before transmitting and then unlock the information at the other end.
How can I check if a website is secure?
When you visit a website that has an SSL certificate installed you will see a small green padlock usually green with the words secure in the browser address bar.
A website that doesn’t have a SSL certificate installed will display an exclamation mark, a warning message or the words ‘Not Secure’ to alert the visitor. Clicking on these icons or messages will display information that the website you are visiting is not secure
Does having an SSL certificate help with SEO?
If you have an SSL certificate configured and installed on your website you will see a positive improvement in search engine optimisation as your website will have more priority over a non secure website. Users to your website will also have peace of mind knowing that your website is genuine and verified which also has a user decision SEO improvement over competitors.
Do all websites need an SSL certificate?
With recent updates to web browsers visitors to your website will be more informed if your website is secure or not, this may affect their decision to contact you for your services if you have an information website. If you have an ecommerce website it is vital you have a secure website to give customers faith and trust in your website and company that their data and order is safe and secure, having a non-secure ecommerce website will pretty much deter customers from purchasing.
If your website has forms used for data capture, a membership system or online database it is also important to have a secure certificate installed to encrypt users personal and private data that is being sent from their browser to the server.
Where can I get an SSL certificate?
There are various companies on the web that will sell you an SSL certificate to secure your website, we can purchase and install the certificate for you and update your website as necessary to be compatible as well as updating any Google Webmaster Tools and Google Analytics profiles that run from your website. The transition to a secure website needs to be as smooth as possible to prevent any downtime or errors occurring. We can take care of this and advise the steps that need to be taken.
Get in contact with us today if you have any further questions or would like us to work with you to secure your website.
