SSL certificates are important, especially if you’re running your own website. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve got a small blog or a full e-commerce site: you need an SSL certificate. Here are some practical reasons why.

Protection Against Hackers

HTTP is the text protocol which sends information between your device and the website you’re visiting. HTTPS is the secure version of this. It encrypts information between the two, so anything sent between the pair is scrambled, rendering it virtually unreadable.

This is essential if you’re inputting sensitive details like your password, or credit card info. But equally, it protects you from man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks: this is when a third party (i.e. a hacker) is intercepting transmissions between two clients. You might not consider this a major issue. However, without encryption, a cybercriminal can display a fake webpage. Links on this false site could download something malicious onto your computer, like malware.

Your visitors will land on the page you intend them to reach if you apply an SSL certificate.

You Become More Trustworthy

Even if you are not an e-commerce website, an SSL certification is a must. If your customers cannot trust you, they would not visit your website, refer you to others, or buy from you. One of the factors that can enhance your website traffic is showing your customers that you care for their security and an SSL certificate is the best way to do so. The best part of the SSL certificate is that it does not burn a hole in your pocket and is quite simple to execute. Once you have installed it, your customers will see you as a more trustworthy brand and will help build your brand reputation in the digital world.

Improve Your Search Engine Ranking

To ensure safe browsing for online users, Google will improve the search engine ranking for the websites with an SSL Certificate. HTTPS is now used as an SEO ranking parameter by Google. As a result, it is highly recommended that you install the SSL certification for your website right away if SEO is a major concern for you.

Google Chrome Will Display Your Website Properly

If your site does not have an SSL certification, a warning screen is displayed by Google Chrome. Any readers trying to visit a site which doesn’t have an SSL certificate will instead see a page alerting them that the connection isn’t private.

Bear in mind that Google Chrome is the most popular mainstream browser. People like its interface and love that it’s largely very secure. For much of its life, Chrome has loaded encrypted pages with a padlock and green “Secure” message displayed.

In 2018, Google switches its stance on the issue. Instead of viewing HTTP as the standard model for sites, Chrome will expect HTTPS as default and only show non-secure sites reluctantly, i.e. after warning users it’s not safe.

So, what are you waiting for? Contact us at Virtual Image today to set up your SSL certification!