With cyber-attacks on the rise, the need to protect your website is now more important than ever. The best way to protect your website is through SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificates which ensure the sensitive data of the website users are transferred safely over a secure network.
SSL certificate has been available for use since 20 years but the price of the certificates and the complexity of implementation have prevented business owners and companies from using SSL certificates. Now, you will find providers offering free SSL along with the hosting packages and their installation is pretty simple.
As a business owner, it is important to protect your website from hackers and also protect sensible information of your website visitors. The different benefits of having SSL certificates are mentioned below.
Website Security
Without a doubt, security is one of the major benefits of implementing SSL certificate. It protects the sensitive data such as login details, signups, addresses and payment details transmitted from and to your website. SSL certificates will encrypt the connection and help protect these sensitive data from being misused by attackers.
If you maintain large websites with several subdomains, you will benefit from a specific type of SSL certificate known as a Wildcard. This secures your main site and all its subdomains with one single SSL certificate. In the case of a standard SSL, you’ll have to install separate certificates for each of your subdomains.
Cybercriminals are out there trying to steal valuable information by creating a perfect replica of an original website and entice website visitors to provide personal information. It may be hard for humans to detect this fraud but SSL identifies this. It is impossible for fake sites to acquire SSL certificates. To protect the website visitors and prevent them from falling into their traps, warning about the absence of SSL certificates is given.
Credibility and Increased Brand Value
When your website is displayed with a security padlock in the address bar of the browser, it instantly earns the trust of the new and existing site visitors. This is a way to protect the data of the customers and let them know their privacy is considered seriously. If you don’t have the certificate, some browsers may label your website as “unsafe” and this could result in loss of business. Business owners shouldn’t take this costly risk.
To benefit from ranking advantages make sure your web URL starts with HTTPS protocol, in addition to implementing the SSL certificate. Believe it or not, SSL significantly improves how your brand is perceived. Besides, website visitors can engage on your site without any worries.
Secure Payments
Online businesses require their site to have an SSL certificate to meet the PCI security standards set forth by the payment card industries. With just an HTTP website, website users won’t send their credit card information over. For successful credit card transaction and secure payment, you should make sure to implement SSL. This also increases the online credibility of your business and you can provide a secure shopping experience for your customers.
How Do You Obtain An SSL Certificate?
In most cases, the hosting provider offers SSL certificates and you can get in touch with them in this regard. SSL versions used to be a paid feature, however now more companies have started to release free SSL certificates. At DomainPaq we provide hosting packages with free SSL certificates. You should also decide which type of SSL certificate suit your needs the best. Here are the different types.
- Single domain certificates secure one fully qualified domain name (FQDN).
- Wildcard certificates secure a single domain and unlimited subdomains of that domain.
- Multi-domain certificate is ideal for website owners to secure multiple, distinct domains on one certificate.
- Extended Validation certificate is suitable for those who require the highest levels of security and trust for online businesses. For a website with EV SSL, the address bar will turn green in major browsers when someone visits.
Implementing SSL is very simple and it consists of the following steps.
- Acquire SSL certificate from a trusted CA
- Activate and install your SSL certificate. When you purchase it from the web host, they take care of its installation
- Update Website from HTTP to HTTPS
As a website owner, it’s necessary to ensure a secure environment for your visitors and customers. Make sure to purchase your SSL certificate from trusted certificate authorities alone.
