Your website is the face of your business on the internet. This means that it’s essential to keep everything secure. One way to make your website safe and secure for customers to transact is by using SSL certificates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
SSL certificates provide security between the user’s computer, your website, and any sensitive data transmitted. However, suppose your business doesn’t have an SSL certificate. In that case, it could be leaving itself open to hackers trying to steal personal information or other important data from its site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These hackers will likely come in through the browser since most people don’t know how to install an SSL certificate on their computers, so they rely on whichever sites they visit daily for this protection. It’s also not uncommon for frustrated customers of non-secure websites to take their business elsewhere if there isn’t enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is SSL?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n SSL or Secure Sockets Layer is an encryption-based security protocol. It is designed to provide a secure channel between two devices or machines operating over the internet. One good example is the SSL used to secure communication between a web server and a web browser.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The padlock icon is displayed on top of the webpage or website once SSL has been installed. The referred page does not use the HTTPS protocol without the padlock icon, so data transmission is not secure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By moving your cursor over the secure HTTPS section of the URL bar, you can view the security credentials of the website you are on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What is an SSL certificate?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n An SSL certificate is a digital certificate that binds a website’s identity to a cryptographic key pair that consists of a public key and a private key. Adding an SSL certificate to a company’s website will protect customer information and secure online transactions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since SSL protocol was introduced about 25 years ago, there have been several versions, all of which have run into security problems at some point. TLS, or Transport Layer Security, was later revamped and renamed and is still used today. Unfortunately, the initials SSL stuck, so the new version of the protocol is still referred to by its old name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Why is SSL important?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n As most of our daily transactions and communications happen online, there is very little reason not to use SSL. The information security principles that SSL supports include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can use SSL to secure:<\/p>\n\n\n\n How does SSL improve SEO ranking?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Using SSL certificates on a website would make browsing and visiting the site more comfortable. However, when it comes to search engine rankings, Google prefers websites with SSL certificates. As part of Google’s attempt to create a secure web environment, it filters search results based on the verification and authenticity of related websites while enforcing stricter guidelines on the general security of the web. By doing so, SSL-certified and trusted websites are given preference, thereby improving their SEO rankings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n