If you are operating online, you probably handle quite a bit of customer information. It is especially true for those who are running e-commerce platforms. You collect a lot of critical data such as credit card information, email addresses, physical addressing, among other things. Unfortunately, there are many types of threats on the online platform you need to be aware of. Hacking is of great concern, and that is why companies will spend millions of Dollars on online security.
We will look at three major reasons why you should get an SSL certificate for your website.
SSL Certificates Provide Online Security
How many times do you come across the message ‘this website is not secure‘ and immediately log off? Now guess if that is occurring on your website. The amount of traffic you will lose can have a significant impact on your online presence. Installing an SSL certificate will give you access to HTTPS, which shows that a website is secure. If you run multiple subdomains, you should consider installing a wildcard SSL certificate. It will save you the cost of buying numerous SSL certificates for the different subdomains. You get cover for multiple subdomains from one Wildcard SSL certificate. Best of all, it makes it easier to manage the back-end processes because you do it from one place.
It Will Help with Your Ranking on The Search Engines
Search engines such as Google have become very strict about website security. The higher your security level, the higher your ranking, and ultimately more traffic to your site. You should consider installing an extended validation or EV SSL certificate if you are operating ecommerce platform for the highest validation and security. This is the highest level of certificate, and you will undergo a thorough vetting process from the Certificate Authority (CA). The advantage is that you get a green bar as proof of certificate and your business name in the URL. Anyone who comes to your website will know that they can trust you with their information because you are taking the necessary steps to secure your site from hackers.
Proof of Identity
An SSL certificate is an excellent proof of identity verification and website authenticity. An online visitor wants to know that he or she is interacting with a real website. Many people have lost significant amounts of cash, because they are interacting with people who have set up a fake website. Getting an SSL certificate requires that you go through a verification process by the Certificate Authority. You then get Trust indicators that show you are real.
How to Get an SSL Certificate for a Website
It is becoming more challenging to operate on the online platform without having an SSL certificate for your website. Search engines will alert online visitors that the site is not secure. You will lose critical traffic to your website and will not be able to continue to exist. You have the option of free or paid SSL certificates. You can buy directly from the CA or third-party sellers or resellers. You may be wondering whether there’s a difference between the free and paid SSL certificates. In terms of encryption, the answer is no, since they both offer website security. However, with the paid option, you get benefits such as security for multiple subdomains, after purchase support, warranty, among others.
When you purchase an SSL, you get a certificate (CRT) that verifies the authenticity of your website. You also get a CA bundle which will ensure the chain of trust.
However, some web host providers will have an SSL certificate as part of their package. Before you subscribe to any package, ask the right questions so that you get the right level of protection for your website.
Final Thoughts
It is essential that you install an SSL certificate on your website. You can choose from a free SSL certificate, a cheap SSL certificate, a Wildcard SSL certificate, and an EV SSL certificate. Understand your needs so that you pick the best security for your website. You may, for example, be running a blog post then, a free or cheap SSL certificate will work well for you. If you are operating an e-commerce platform, you may need a higher level of security, which you will get with an EV SSL certificate. If you run multiple platforms, a wildcard SSL is cost-effective and more convenient.
