You’ve registered the perfect website domain. Your website is stunning, created with mobile-first indexing in mind. You’re almost ready to go live, but is your website secure? Currently, Google displays a “Not Secure” warning in the address bar of your site if it isn’t secured by an SSL certificate. At the very least, this warning can result in poor SEO ranking as well as reduced website engagement. Gone are the days when SSL certification was for websites only. Today, if you own a website or a blog, you’ll need SSL. The experts at BCI Media Services spend a lot of time educating clients concerning the importance of having an SSL certificate. Here’s what you need to know.
What is an SSL Certificate?
SSL stands for Secure Socket Layer. It is a digital certificate that is the foundation for strong internet security. The certificate establishes an encrypted connection between an individual’s computer and a website. This protects sensitive data from being exchanged without your knowledge. In addition to encryption, a proper SSL certificate provides authentication,
Meaning you can be sure the information you are sending is going to the right place, not a cyber thief trying to steal information. The nature of the Internet means that at any given time your customers could be sending information through multiple servers. Any of these could connect to a computer pretending to be your website, tricking your users into sending their sensitive information to the wrong place. Because of this, SSL certification has become a critical security prerequisite in the digital era and is a must for websites.
Google Considers SSL Certificates Essential
A new business needs to focus on ranking well on Google and Search Engine Optimization. While there are many different aspects of SEO, one of them is the trustworthiness and authenticity of your website. Google and other search engines place a high level of trust in SSL certification whether you are a sole proprietor or a corporation. Before you dismiss your site as being “too small to target,” bear in mind that a web crawler perpetrates most attacks. In fact, research shows that more than half of all cyberattacks target small businesses. A web crawler doesn’t care how big you are, no site is too small to get hacked. Crawl bots have one goal, and that is to find vulnerabilities.
A Must for E-commerce
If you are an e-commerce business or require your customers to pay for your products or services online, an SSL is required. To take online payments you must pass certain audits showing your compliance with Payment Card Industry (PCI) standards. One of the requirements is properly installing and using an SSL Certificate. Ensuring that your website is SSL compliant decreases the risk of sensitive data such as usernames, passwords, emails, credit card numbers and bank account information getting into the hands of hackers. An SSL certificate also helps to reduce identity theft by providing a safe exchange of information between the website and the internet browser.
Is Your Website Secure?
An SSL certificate is essential in providing a sense of security and trustworthiness to customers. If you have any questions about whether or not your website is secure, would like help with SEO, or need an SSL certificate installed contact BCI Media Services today. Let us help you Dominate Digital.