What is an SSL Certificate?
SSL Certificate stands for secure socket layers sometimes also called Digital Certificate is a file contains cryptographic key of organizations’ Details. You can install SSL Certificate on your Website to set a secure connection between web browser to web server.
After installing SSL Certificate, you can access your website using https. Are you familiar with that tiny padlock at the start of the website name in the address bar? That’s the SSL Certificate which makes your website connection secure. Whenever you see this padlock, know that the information transmitted between the browser and the webserver is in an encrypted format and it is safe and secure from intruders.
What are the four main reasons to install an SSL Certificate?
(1) Protect Sensitive Data
SSL Certificate’s primary job is to secure all communications taking place between the web server and the browser. With an SSL Certificate installed on a website, all information exchanged between the user and the server will be encrypted. This means it will protect your sensitive data like Passwords, CreditCard and other private information from hackers.
(2) A Security Sense to Website Visitor
When a user visits a website and they will find the green padlock which will make the user sense of security for your website. This will provide user confidence while visiting your website. He will not hesitate to fill their information over that website. SSL Certificate will make sure that information will keep safe.
(3) Compulsory from 2018
As per Google, they will flag any website without having SSL Certificate by the end of 2017. This will apply to all the websites on the internet. If your website doesn’t contain a valid SSL Certificate and the user will find Not Secure message, they will leave your website due to the security threat. You should install an SSL Certificate on your website to make the website presence online. It is not a tough task, you can just contact your web hosting and they will provide you the necessary information to install SSL certificate.
(4) Neceessary for Online Transactions
Any Website running ecommerce Business requires their clients to make payment online for the product they sell. To protect these online transactions, you must install SSL Certificate with an encryption of at least 128-bit. You can ask for 128 bit encryption for SSL Certificate when you purchase SSL Certificate from any vendor.
How does SSL certificate affect search engine ranking for a website?
We mentioned that Google is committed to make SSL Certificates mandatory. We also mentioned how these certificates help ensure the safety of internet users. Now, Let us discuss on how SSL Certificate affect search engine ranking for websites.
(1) Improvement in Search Engine Rankings
A website with SSL Certificate will always have an edge over the other unsecured website without SSL encryption. SSL Certificate is one of the factors for SEO Rankings.
It is always difficult to measure the SSL Certificate impact on SEO because there are several other factors to considers for website SEO Rankings. Websites with HTTPS surely have higher search engine rankings on Google Search.
When visitors find your website is using secure connections and safe from hackers, you will get more visitors on the website and improves website SEO Ranking.
(2) Boost SEO with better User Experience
Undoutabley SSL Certificate will increase your website user experience. It is not only about security but other benefits which help website owner for the better user experience.
Internet browser like Google Chrome includes a visual warning when a user visits the unsecured website without having SSL Encryption. It has been noticed in Google research that visitor spends very less amount of time on an unsecured website. This will impact negatively SEO Ranking of a website.
Ecommerce Website having an SSL Certificate boost confidence amongst their customer to get thrive business. It provides a safe and secure online experience to their website visitors and improves traffic.
All these are an effort to show you the link between three things: your safety, HTTPS/HTTP, and SSL Certificates and that is why Google pushes webmasters to uphold the utmost security standards for them to rank well on the search engines’ organic search results. Yet many sites continue to ignore even the most basic standards set by Google.
As a webmaster, you have plenty to dread. If you are operating a website without an SSL Certificate, you should start to forget about getting any significant traffic on your website. And if you are still lagging in upgrading from HTTP to HTTPS, it means your website isn’t secure at all, hence good customer experience is not assured.
Conclusion
It is always recommended to set basic web security measures for a website’s reputation and success. The easiest way of avoiding the needless inconveniences that come with web security measures is to switch from the insecure HTTP to the secure HTTPS. The switch comes with numerous benefits including boosting your rankings on Google and ensuring security on your website. SSL Certificate implementation process is very easy and less expensive.
