This blog post is all about the advantage to having a secure server certificate (SSL) for your website. As time goes by we are hearing more and more about security and how we are at risk (all of us) of being compromised in our use of the web. Because of this your customers are naturally more aware of the websites they visit and they are now insisting on visiting secure websites.
What is an SSL Certificate?
SSL stands for secure sockets layer. Your SSL certificate will consist of a public and a private key. These two keys will allow you to establish a safe and secure connection to the web. The certificate features private information about your company, the identity of the person who owns the website and whether or not the certificate is valid. When you choose to add the SSL Certificate to your website, it adds an additional layer of protection. This will guard your sensitive information as it travels on the world-wide web. It will provide many direct benefits to you as a business owner as well as your customers who will be visiting your website and purchasing goods and services.
What information will be protected:
The SSL Certificate protects private information such as customer names, phone numbers, addresses, and credit card numbers. A secure connection is created between the customer’s web browser and your company server. For any company selling online, this is crucial. Customers know this and prefer to do business with secure websites. It only makes sense to do so. The SSL certificate encrypts information which is private between the intended parties only. Since info provided on internet forms normally go through more than one computer, an SSL certificate will protect this private information until it reaches its final destination. This stops any third-party from obtaining the private information and using this for bad purposes. The SSL certificate contains random characters which are inserted to fool the third party who would like to hack into the information. It makes it impossible to get into the information without a legitimate encryption key.
How do customers know we have an SSL Certificate?
Those visiting your website will notice that you have an HTTPS protocol located within your browser status bar. Some sites also feature a visual cue such as a “lock image” in the status bar or in the location bar at the top of the page. Today’s smart shoppers know to look for this and usually don’t do business with websites not having this extra protection. As most of the world are searching online, it makes sense that all sites should be secure. This goes without saying that customers prefer to browse secure platforms.
Can this help our SEO ranking and Google Analytics?
To answer this question, professional SEO technicians feel that adding the SSL certificate to your website will in time, increase your search engine optimization rank. While you may not notice a difference in the beginning, going forward there is an advantage. Google’s algorithm is evolving and we are noticing that secure sites are becoming the wave of the future.
We are recommending that all e-commerce sites switch to HTTPS. This will benefit your site security and in turn benefit your customer confidence in your company. Other sites who do not sell online should also consider switching to HTTPS as well. Those site owners using Google Analytics will find HTTPS very helpful. This is because the data you receive is saved with having the HTTPS and no appears only as “direct traffic.”
Conclusion:
Having an SSL Certificate installed on your site helps both the company and the customer feel more secure. This helps to avoid data theft and damages as well as will keep our reputation and your site’s authority in tact. There are plenty of good reasons to have this additional layer of protection. Contact our team to help you understand more about the SSL Certificate and to help you implement this great tool for success.
Hurry back for more next time from the Design Wizards at “Inside Design Orlando.”
