If you are a new entrant to the web industry, or if you are simply skeptical about the advantages of SSL, it is quite obvious to get plagued by the thoughts doubting the need of SSL certificate installation for your website.
So, the million dollar question is – is SSL important?
In one word, yes!
Put simply, it is the backbone of your website security. An SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate encrypts all information transferred between your website and server in a safe and secure way. What’s more? It keeps hackers at bay and also makes sure that your customers’ data is in safe hands.
Next probable question – do you need it?
Well, read on the article to find out!
First Things First, What Is SSL?
SSL is the abbreviated form of Secure Sockets Layer and adds an extra protection to your website. An SSL certificate installation ensures that all the sensitive data that your website handles, like the personal details of your customers, their credit card numbers and so on, is transferred safely between the end user’s device and your website.
SSL works by creating a secure connection between your server and the web browser and makes sure that everything remains private and secure.
This is perhaps why even Google is favoring the websites with an SSL certificates, and punishing the websites without HTTPS.
Advantages of SSL Certificate Installation:
Now that we have basic info in hand, let’s dig a bit deeper and have a look at various benefits of SSL.
- For encrypting information
Probably one of the major uses of getting an SSL certificate is to encrypt the information and protect all the sensitive data from being read by unauthorized users who might be sniffing for useful data.
Needless to say, any information submitted on the Internet goes through a number of network devices before reaching its final destination. As it goes, the more routers and switches it passes through, the higher the chances are of getting the information compromised.
This is where SSL comes to your rescue. It encrypts the data by advanced cryptography which is practically unbreakable for anyone who doesn’t have the right key to read it.
- Wins trust of the customers
In today’s tech-savvy age, customers know how to trust an e-commerce store or website. Before making any transaction or sharing personal information with you, the first thing that most of the users check is the presence of HTTPS or the familiar padlock sign in the address bar which indicates that the connection is secure.
Thus, if you want to win the trust of your customers, and close more sales, it is imperative to have an SSL certificate.
- To be able to accept payments
Technically, if you run an e-commerce store, or if you need to accept payments via your website, you need to be compliant with the Payment Card Industry which makes it necessary for you to have an SSL certificate with at least 128-bit encryption.
This is because PCI verifies if your website uses the right encryption and provides private connection at all pages where a user is asked to share the personal information. Without such a certificate, you would not be able to accept credit card payments.
- Guards against phishing
With the rising number of cyber crimes, phishing is on rise too. As per an estimate, phishing attacks have gone up by 65%.
So, what is phishing? Is is an illegal attempt to grab sensitive data. More often than not, hackers create an exact replica of a reputable website and trick the customers by asking them to provide their bank details or other sensitivity information.
By getting an SSL certificate, you can help your customers in differentiating between your website and the fake website, because SSL certificates are issued and valid only for a single domain name. This way, when the customers would not see any security certificate on the website, they would get the hint that they have landed on a wrong page.
- Avoid browser alerts
As mentioned already, Google is favoring the websites with HTTPS over HTTP website in an attempt to keep users safe.
On the same lines, Google recently sent a proposal to all the web browsers to make sure that the website has a valid SSL certificate on all the pages wherein sensitive information is requested.
Chrome is already doing this, and it won’t load your website if it doesn’t have a valid SSL certificate, and other browsers are sure to follow the same route in the near future.
Parting Thoughts
These were a few reasons logical enough to hint you how important it is to have an SSL certificate installed for your website. It not only keeps you safe and secure but also helps you gain trust of the customers while also providing the SEO benefit.
