There is a chance that you have visited a site and note a warning written in the name field to read as not secure. Or perhaps you have been observing that some of the web addresses begin with https whereas others remain with http? The difference between the little s on the end of the URL can prove to make a world of differences, and it is all due to something that we so fondly refer to as an SSL certificate.
What is an SSL certificate you may be asking? Why should I have one? How do I ever get it? Don’t worry. Let us in this post deconstruct it all in simple friendly terms that do not involve any tech background.
What then is an SSL certificate?
We are going to begin with the fundamentals. SSL is an acronym of Secure Socket Layer. But to be tech free, let us go straight to the point, it is the SSL certificate that ensures the protection of the information exchanged between your website and your visitors. Consider it as that of sealing an envelope before posting a letter. In the absence of SSL, it is possible that someone in the middle will be able to read and even alter the contents.
Your visitors will notice there is a padlock on the address bar of the browser when there is an SSL on your site. That padlock says to them; hey it is safe. And where you have some online store or you collect such information as emails or passwords, then this security is crucial.
Why bother to get an SSL certificate immediately?
My web site is only a blog you are thinking. Should I have SSL? The answer is yes and here is why.
One, Google now demands the SSL on websites. Indeed, websites that are not authenticated by the SSL protocol can be found lower in the search results. This implies reduced customers and traffic.
Second, most of the newer browsers will in fact notify people before they visit a page which is not being protected by SSL. Think of a situation when you want to establish a trustful relationship with your visitor, yet your visitor sees a dangerous red warning sign instead. It is a poor first impression.
Third, individuals are concerned about privacy at an unmatched level. They want to be assured that their information is secure whether you are requesting them to subscribe to a newsletter or purchase a commodity. With that, SSL assists in providing them with such peace of mind.
So how do you in fact obtain an SSL certificate?
This is where people fall short. Your ears have heard about it, but you do not even know how to start?
The good part is that it is not as difficult as it sounds. Free SSL certificates are enabled by several hosting providers nowadays. All you may have to do is to log in to your hosting dashboard and press the button that says Enable SSL. That’s it.
Just in case your host does not provide it do not panic. Still, you can obtain a certificate with providers such as Let s Encrypt (and these are the free ones, by the way) or purchase the certificate on such websites as GoDaddy, Namecheap, or DigiCert. Depending upon the kind of site you are running and the extent of validation required there will be a variation in the price.
Others are simple ones, ideal in personal websites or portfolio sites. The others are higher level, as organizations that require a greater degree of identity verification have to use them. And in case you do not know exactly which one you need, then pose yourself the following question: Do I take payments or sensitive information? Should there be a positive answer, invest in a higher-level SSL.
Still wondering whether it is worth it or not?
Your site should be your cyber-house. Would you leave your front door open? Probably not. Getting an SSL certificate is sort of like that lock it proves to the people who visit that you can be trusted, that they can visit with confidence and that you are interested in their protection even of their information.
Furthermore, since Google ranks security-enabled websites higher and browsers are warning about insecure sites, the absence of SSL might set your business further back than you imagine.
And, so, you have more reasons to get an SSL certificate, don t put it off any longer. It does not matter whether your site is a new one or you have held it numerous years; having installed SSL is one of the easiest measures of enhancing your security as well as gaining authenticity.
The bottom line is that while the decision to purchase SSL certificate is an upgrade of tech, it also sends a signal to the globe that your site is secure, contemporary, and reliable. And who does not want that?
