Why your website needs and SSL Certificate.
Do you need an SSL Certificate?
An SSL Certificate or SSL is a secure padlock you see in the top left of the browser, this tells you if a website is secure or not.
We have highly recommended that all websites should have an SSL certificate for a number of years now, and many of our customers already have one.
Without SSL, your site visitors and customers are at higher risk of having their data stolen. Your site security is also at risk without encryption. SSL protects websites from phishing scams, data breaches, and many other threats. Ultimately, It builds a secure environment for both visitors and site owners.
There are many reasons why an SSL certificate is best practice to have on a website. Most of our customers already have an SSL certificate and there are many good reasons for this.
1. Improved security
There’s a reason why Google favors HTTPS—they want to achieve the safest web experience for their users. A cyberattack occurs every 39 seconds and 43% of those cyberattacks target small businesses.
Google adds criteria to the rankings algorithm when it has proven to provide a better user experience. HTTPS protects your users’ information and your information from hackers.
Keeping everything safer and more secure is simply a better option for everyone.
2. It will increase your Google rankings
Google wants to ensure the best user experience for their customers, so understandably they don’t want to send searchers to insecure websites. Because of that, their ranking algorithm favors HTTPS sites (ones with SSL). If your site isn’t secure, it could be getting outranked by similar sites that are.
3. Increased conversions
While users may not have a complete technical understanding of secure connections, they do understand that they want a site to be HTTPS if they are providing personal information.
We already see a difference in conversion rates between HTTP and HTTPS sites and have done for some time.
When users see those red labels or not secure on the browser, something as simple as entering a name, email, and phone number into a basic lead generation form can cause anxiety and concern for users.
4. Increased customer confidence
With all of the buzz about HTTPS going around, more users are specifically looking for a secure connection when visiting a website.
A secure connection gives your customers peace of mind that your website can be trusted and their information is safe.
5. Cost
The cost is very little for the work it does.