Importance of Getting an SSL Certificate

Keeping personal and payment information secure is valued highly by online shoppers. As website owners, you can control what you do with the information once you receive it. But unless your website has a SSL or Secure Sockets Layer certificate, the journey their data takes to get to you is unsecure.

From January 2017, Google’s web browser Chrome will begin to show a ‘Not Secure’ or equivalent message on websites without an SSL certificate. This will be seen by website visitors when they enter information in a form or begin to purchase through that website. A direct result of a push from many web browsers for universal encryption, Google is paving the way by rewarding websites with a SSL certificate higher SEO rankings.

What is a SSL Certificate?

An SSL certificate is an online form of technology which creates a secure encrypted connection between your web server and your visitor’s web browser. This means that any information sent between the two cannot be seen by anyone. Once you have a Secure Sockets Layer certificate uploaded onto your website, the http:// part of your URL changes to https://. The image of a green padlock is also present.

It works a bit like a pair of keys. Your web server and your visitor’s web browser have a key each and when put together, encrypt all the information sent between the two. Without one, information can be intercepted by anyone as it is sent in plain text.

Why Do I Need a SSL Certificate?

Firstly, it shows your website visitors that you take their security and privacy seriously. It is a step in building their trust with the aim of getting a sale. Customers are more likely to make a credit card purchase and fill in their personal information if it is inaccessible by others.

Secondly, once you have one installed, web browsers will not show ‘unsecure’ messages to your website customers when they make a purchase or fill in forms on your website. You will also receive an improved level of SEO or search engine optimisation as Google use SSL data as a ranking factor in their search result algorithm. This means that by having it installed, Google will raise your website ranking in search engine results. Websites without one risk being given a lower SEO rank.

How Do I Get a SSL Certificate?

When you host your website on one of our premium hosting plans, from the business plan upwards, you will receive an SSL certificate for free. Simply upgrade your hosting plan and we’ll do all the work of setting it up and renewing it for you. Now, how easy is that!