SSL certificate is a popular term in the world of cybersecurity. According to a research report done by Netcraft SSL Server Survey, there were more than one thousand more certificates in 2014 only than there were in the year 2006.
SSL stands for Secure Socket Layer. SSL certificate is an essential component of website security. It is crucial for all businesses that have part or whole of their operations online.
SSL certificate establishes a secure connection between a web browser and a web server. This way, any data transfer that is carried out online remains safe and secure from the hands of the now rampant cybercriminals. All files and information transferred go in a meaningless form. This means that in case a hacker happens to get hold of the files or the information, he may not be in a position to decipher its meaning. This is why an SSL certificate is an important security layer for any website or business that has an online presence.
To tell whether an SSL certificate is installed on a business website, you need to check the structure of the URL. A website without an SSL certificate will start with HTTP. On the other hand, a website to which an SSL certificate has been installed will start with HTTPS. The S means that the website is secured with an SSL certificate. It is good to understand the difference so as to know the course of action that you will need to take for your website security.
There are several SSL certificates that you can choose from. For instance,let’s say Comodo SSL certificate, which is one of the best SSL certificates that you can buy for your online business.
An SSL certificate is, therefore, an excellent component that your business ought to have in place. It brings forth several benefits to your online business. This article explains these benefits.
Protects Your Business against Lose of Information
The most crucial role that an SSL certificate will play for your online business is securing your information against cyber theft. Information that is transmitted online will go through a channel of several computers before it can finally reach its intended destination. These channels accelerate the risks of this information being stolen. Hackers and cybercriminals are ever on the lookout for loopholes to steal such information. They can then use the stolen data for malicious purposes. The cure to this menace is the installation of an SSL certificate.
An SSL certificate will encrypt any information that is being transferred between the server and browser. The information will only be readable only by the person that it is intended for. Any person or hackers who come along this information in the course of its transmission will not be able to decipher its meaning. To achieve this, an SSL certificate adds random characters to the data. The data is only accessed by the person who has the key and remains useless to anyone who does have the key.
We recommend every business to have an SSL certificate in order to protect its data, files, and information from hackers in the course of transfers.
An SSL Certificate Builds Confidence To The People Visiting Your Website
In the recent past, information theft has been on the rise. This has led to people becoming more cautious with their dealings online. Website visitors want proof that the information that they are giving is safe and secure from the hands of online hackers. To achieve this, they are going to check if the business website is secured with an SSL certificate. As explained earlier, all they need to confirm this is to check the URL of the website. If it is secured with an SSL certificate, it will appear as HTTPS, while if it does not have an SSL certificate, it will appear as HTTP.
To give assurance to your customers and your business website visitors, you have to consider buying an SSL certificate from a trusted SSL certificate authority. This will ensure customer retention and also build the confidence of the website visitors when dealing with your business website.
SSL Certificate is a prerequisite for Online Payments
With the advancement in technology, most businesses have enabled online payment options. If you are running a business where the transactions are carried out online, the SSL certificate is a mandatory tool that you ought to have.
As an online business owner, it should be your core duty to make sure that the information that is exchanged within your business websites is protected at all costs. Such information may include crucial credit card information and other personal information. You need an SSL certificate to make sure that such kind of information is not revealed to hackers and other online intruders.
- SSL Certificates Will Boost The Search Engine Ranking Of Your Business Website
Popular search engines such as Google have now put the presence of an SSL certificate into consideration when determining the website rankings. So, not using an SSL certificate will definitely have a negative influence on your search engine ranking.
To add to this, popular web browsers will warn users if they are visiting a website that does not have an SSL certificate. Some users might ignore the warning and go ahead to access the website, but others will be cautious and avoid visiting your website. This will increase the bounce rate of a website. You do not have to experience this with your business website. You just need an SSL certificate to avoid such drawbacks. It will boost your search engine ranking and, in turn, increase the value for the business.
It is a Mandatory Requirement By Google
Google requires all websites, whether a simple blog website or an e-commerce store, to have an SSL certificate. All websites that did not have an SSL certificate were flagged off in 2017. Your online business should not be an exception to this requirement.
If your business does not install an SSL certificate, a notification of not secured will appear on the URL of the business website. The website can even fail to operate on popular web browsers such as Mozilla Firefox or google chrome. You should not sit back and wait for this to happen, rather you should move with speed to make sure that your online business website has an SSL certificate.
An SSL Certificate Will Protect Your Website from Phishing Attacks and Other Types of hacks
Today, there exist numerous types of fraudulent activities that occur on the internet. For instance, a hacker can replicate your business website, making it very hard for a user to identify the authentic website. Such kind of phishing sites poses a great threat to the customers and the business as a whole.
Customers may unknowingly visit these sites. The outcomes are outrageous. They may lose their vital information to scammers as well as their funds. The business might also feel the heat of such happenings by losing customers to scammers.
To avoid such cases from happening, you need an SSL certificate for your business website. An SSL certificate will be in a good position to identify such fake websites and alert the user, something that a human eye might fail to do. It is crucial, therefore, to install an SSL certificate to your website to prevent such kind of phishing attacks.
Final Thought
Cybercriminals have become smart. They use sophisticated means in order to steal information. Businesses operating online have become targets of such hackers. They aim to steal the information and use it for their own malicious purposes. This can distort the reputation of the businesses that it had used many resources to built. Businesses can also incur severe losses when this occurs. To prevent this from happening, businesses with an online presence have to make use of SSL certificates. SSL certificates will also give the business many other benefits that have been explained in this article.
