Whether it's online purchases, banking information, or simply sending email – SSL is becoming an absolute necessity for anyone who uses the internet regularly.
However many people don't understand why SSL is so important and how it can affect their business. With that in mind, we've put together this article on why your website needs an SSL certificate and what they actually do:
All information transferred between a server and client should be encrypted. This means any payment details you accept through your site will be sent over a secure protocol such as SSL rather than being transmitted in plain text. This provides added protection from hackers who may attempt to intercept the data being sent from your site.
Search engines such as Google place more value on websites that follow best practices, and HTTPS is becoming a badge of trust for users. This means that obtaining an SSL Certificate can give you a boost with search engine rankings by proving to search engines that you have taken steps to provide a safe and secure online environment for visitors.
Visitors are increasingly wary about entering their sensitive information into websites online, knowing how easily it can be compromised. An SSL Certificate not only provides assurance in the form of encryption technology but also through visual cues provided by browsers like Google Chrome – which will display URLs with 'https' as opposed to 'http'.
The benefits of SSL don't just apply to your website's visitors, but also to its owners in the form of higher conversion rates. According to a recent report by KPMG, over 50% of consumers will abandon their shopping carts if they see that a store does not have an SSL certificate and instead choose competitors with https enabled. Customers are becoming aware that non-secure sites pose risks to privacy and security, and as such prefer websites which offer added protection for them and their data.
While obtaining an SSL Certificate can be costly at first, it is potentially a cost-effective solution in the long run – especially when compared to potential fines.
Under the new 'General Data Protection Regulation' that came into force in 2018, organisations could be fined up to 4% of their total turnover (or €20 Million) for failing to provide adequate protection against cyber-attacks. SSL Certificates can help you avoid the risk of such fines and instead form an integral part of your online security strategy.
The importance of SSL Certificates is now widely accepted in the business world, with major retailers like Apple and Amazon having started to issue warnings when visiting non-secure websites. Even Google has announced that HTTPS will become a ranking signal used to determine the trustworthiness of sites and content on the internet – meaning that obtaining an SSL Certificate could be a beneficial investment for your business from both a marketing and security perspective.
If you still have any questions regarding SSL, or would simply like to find out more about our own services please don't hesitate to contact us!
As always we're happy to help in any way we can 🙂
