What is an SSL certificate and why do I need it?

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is a standard security protocol that serves for establishing encrypted links between a web server and a browser.  The usage of SSL an ensures that all data transmitted between the web server and browser is encrypted, thus making it safe and secure.

How to know if a website is secure?

A website is secure when a green padlock is shown in the browser address bar. Or, another way of checking if a website is secure is to see if the website uses ‘https’ or ‘http’. The ‘s’ at the end stands for ‘Secure’, meaning that a domain whose URL starts with ‘https’ is a secure one because it stands for Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure.

When is an SSL certificate a must?

Whatever business you are running, it is highly recommended that your website is secure. Especially in the following cases:

1. If you are selling products online through your website. Obviously, your website receives a lot of sensitive data such as credit card numbers so, an SSL certificate is a must in this case.
2. If your website is working with user login and user register options? In this case, you need a secure website in order to protect user login details, especially emails and passwords.
3. If you are you gathering any kind of information via forms. In this case again, you are dealing with confidential information and you need an SSL certificate to make sure this information is safe.

If your website is just a blog or portfolio, you probably do not need to have an SSL installed, however, you might want to have it if you want to improve your Google rankings

What are the benefits of using an SSL certificate?

50% of websites nowadays are secure. And there is another 50% to go. There are many benefits of securing your website, I’ll list just a few:

• Safety and Security – this way you make sure you are safe from hackers
• Trust and Credibility – Visitors will trust you more if your website is secure.
• Protection – the information shared through your website will stay protected.
• SEO Rankings – Secure websites are ranked better by google so this has become an important item in your SEO checklist.

In Summary

Working with clients from various industries, we can say that companies have taken this seriously and as a result, we have received quite a number of SSL certificate requests. An example of a company showing great responsibility regarding this matter are Connect Insolvency –  Liquidators & Insolvency Practitioners Based In Newcastle, whose website facilitates with the login option and thus the need for an SSL Certificate.