SSL Certificate: Enhancing Security & Trust
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SSL certificates provide websites with strong security and encryption. It also authenticates any website’s identity in the eyes of users and search engines, presenting it as a legitimate, verified site that prioritizes security.
Whether you are on an eCommerce site or a small business website, no user wants to be on a site that doesn’t feel secure. SSL stands for ‘Secure Sockets Layer’. This is a digital certificate put on a website that encrypts all data exchanged between the site server and visitors. This security protocol ensures that sensitive information, such as payment information or confidential data, cannot be intercepted by unauthorized parties. In this regard, an SSL certificate has become a worldwide sign of trustworthiness in web design.
Here are the reasons why we value SSL certificates as well as how we use them to impact a brand’s SEO campaign.
The Crucial Role Of SSL Certificates In Modern Web Security
SSL certificates are a type of digital passport. With it, you provide your website with secure browsing capabilities, ensuring that data is encrypted and adding a layer of inaccessibility for any hacker that may come along.
In an era where more websites are facing security breaches, an SSL certificate can be very helpful in minimizing the risk of a hacker coming along and being able to steal your website’s data. It does not matter what kind of website you are. No website owner or business owner wants unauthorized users to access private information.
Once an SSL certificate is applied to your account, it becomes the backbone of any transaction that occurs on your site. It is what will safeguard payment info, credit card numbers, login credentials and passwords, and more.
A user that sees a website using an SSL certificate reinforces their confidence in being able to trust that website.
How you know a website is SSL-certified is by the URL. A secure URL begins with ‘https’ rather than ‘http’.
Demystifying SSL For Marketers: What You Need To Know
An SSL certificate is issued by a third-party known as a Certificate Authority, or CA. The SSL certificate includes information about the website and its owner, and details about the organization who issued the certificate.
How an SSL certificate works is simple. It establishes a secure connection through a process known as an SSL handshake.
An SSL handshake is when the website server and visitor browser exchange information to verify each other’s identity. After both are verified, they are both assigned a shared encryption key to encrypt and decrypt data transmitted between them.
Marketers can leverage SSL as a selling point to new users for all websites but it is especially applicable to eCommerce sites or any website where payment transactions are happening frequently and directly on-site. For a brand, SSL certification highlights their commitment to security and privacy, and enhances brand reputation.
SSL And Consumer Trust: The Unseen Pillar Of E-Commerce
Market Your E-Commerce Site As Trustworthy
Especially for new websites selling products online, SSL certification is a must. Many users are apprehensive about using their credit cards or sharing private data with an unknown party. They’re inputting their address and order details as well. It’s crucial this information is protected.
With this certification, you communicate safety and reliability, and encourage your users to transact freely and with confidence.
Look For The Padlock Icon In The Browser
Every SSL-certified site is also marked with a padlock icon in the browser. This is another visual cue of consumer trust that can be carried over into encouraging users to make a purchase on your website.
In eCommerce, users are looking for reassurances that your site is authentic and legitimate. An SSL certificate acts as such a sign. A user knows the connection is secure when they see that padlock icon affixed to you.
No SSL Certification And You Lose Consumer Trust
An eCommerce site with no SSL risks consumer trust. They may also be giving away potential sales with users hesitant to provide sensitive information to a non-SSL website.
If there is a hack and there was no certificate in place, this also reflects badly on you and could severely cripple your brand’s reputation.
Have you ever tried to visit a website and seen the ‘not secure’ sign at the top of a website or received a warning from your browser that a website was somehow dangerous – this is what happens when a website is presented without an SSL certificate.
The SEO Advantage Of SSL Certificates: Beyond Just Security
While the majority of the conversation around SSL certificates is security-related, it’s no secret that they have an extremely positive effect on SEO as well. Sites with SSL certificates fare better on search engines than sites that do not. In fact, sites that don’t carry an SSL certificate are often seen as red flags by search engines.
SSL Is A Ranking Signal
Google has confirmed that SSL certificates are a ranking signal. This means they can impact your SEO.
Search engines are always trying to feature the best quality websites in search engine results pages, or SERPs. SSL-certified sites signify quality. This is why search engines favor featuring HTTPS-enabled sites, promising you better visibility and more organic lead generation.
Reduce Bounce Rates And Improve User Metrics
SSL certificates also provide a more secure user experience which has been shown to reduce bounce rates. Indirectly, by improving your user engagement metrics, this benefits your SEO.
HTTPS Is A Prerequisite
HTTPS is a prerequisite in modern web design. Most websites wouldn’t dare not register an SSL certificate simply because it puts them at such a disadvantage. If your website is not under an HTTPS, consider it because the alternative puts your competition ahead of you.
Implementing SSL: A Step-By-Step Guide For Website Owners
Choose The Right Type Of SSL Certificate
There are multiple types of SSL certificates, such as DV, OV, and EV. Depending on the level of validation your website requires, you must select the correct type.
- A DV (Domain Validated) SSL certificate is your basic certificate. It verifies that the domain name is registered.
- An OV (Organization Validated) SSL certificate verifies the domain name and validates the organization is a legitimate business. Additional checks are performed to verify the brand’s identity.
- Lastly, an EV (Extended Validation) SSL certificate verifies the domain name, organization, and legal existence of the organization. These websites have the highest level of security and will display a green address bar in the browser to indicate that.
You may also have multiple websites or subdomains that require an SSL certificate and that creates additional types of certificates to consider.
- A single-domain SSL certificate protects one specific domain. It will not protect any subdomains.
- A wildcard SSL certificate secures a single domain and all subdomains. If you’re operating multiple subdomains under a primary, this is the type of SSL certificate you pick.
- A multi-domain SSL certificate secures multiple domain names and subdomains all registered under the same certificate. For larger multi-national organizations, eCommerce companies, or businesses with multiple websites, a multi-domain SSL certificate is what you want.
Generate A CSR On Your Website Server
To acquire an SSL certificate, the first step is generating a CSR on your server. The precise process of how to do this varies according to the web hosting service you are with.
A CSR is a ‘Certificate Signing Request’. After it is generated on your web server, it is submitted to a Certificate Authority.
If accepted, you can then download the issued SSL certificate from the CA and you’re now ready to process to the next step.
Install And Activate Your SSL Certificate
Lastly, you must install and activate your SSL certificate. To do this, download the SSL certificate from the Certificate Authority website and use the instructions provided by your web hosting provider to add it to your web server.
From there, your SSL certificate must be configured to your site to use HTTPS. All URLs must be updated accordingly to ensure that all data is encrypted.
The final step is then to test your SSL certificate to ensure it is working correctly on your website.
Stay Ahead In Web Security SEO With SSL Certificates From All The Way Up Media
At All The Way Up Media, we are the experts in SEO and we believe that SSL certificates are a must for website security.
There is no easier or more effective way to encrypt the data exchanged between your website and its visitors than with an SSL certificate. It protects that information and comprehensively guards your website against hackers.
Simply by signing up for an SSL certificate, you increase your website’s trustworthiness, improve your search engine rank, and increase customer confidence. In eCommerce, of course, it’s essential! For all websites though, you don’t want to leave your site exposed in any way that could compromise its safety or customer privacy.
We can help you set up an SSL certificate and ensure it’s properly installed on your website’s server.
For more information on how our team can help you with SEO and SSL certificates, reach out to All The Way Up Media today.