Do I Need An SSL Certificate for My Website?

Before we dive in and answer your question, let's start from the basic and understand what it means to have an SSL certificate.

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SSL certificate (SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer) is a bit of code on your web server that provides security for online communications. It is a standard technology for keeping an internet connection secure and safeguarding any sensitive data that is being sent between two systems, preventing criminals from reading and modifying any information transferred, including potential personal details.

That being said, here are the 5 things you need to know about SSL certificate.

1. SSL certificate is compulsory

July 2018, Google’s Chrome browser will mark all non-HTTPS sites as ‘not secure.’

SSL hosting requires an SSL certificates issued by a trusted third party and display a green lock icon with "Secure" message in a web browser’s address bar, as seen above.

2. SSL certificate affects SEO

With SSL certificate, your website page is more likely to receive higher search engine results than the identical page without SSL protection. SSL is a ranking signal, so unless you have SSL your site will be harder to find, impacting on your traffic and revenue.

3. Build trust with your customers

Not only an SSL certificate helps your website traffic stays secure, it also affects how your customers perceive your website.

When you found a website on Google Search, would you click on a website that shows "Not Secure?" It goes deep into the human behaviour that red is dangerous and should be avoided while green is "continue" through.

4. SSL certificate shows authority

An SSL certificate serves as a credential in the online world. Each SSL certificate uniquely identifies a specific domain and a web server. Trust of a credential depends on confidence in the organization that issued it.

5. Protect your website and your user's information

SSL certificate protects your website from attack, reduce the risk of hacking, eavesdropping and man-in-the-middle attacks. It also adds a 256-bit encryption level to protect the users’ information from phishing scams & attacks.

Conclusion

Whether your website is a personal website, blog, informational, or eCommerce, the short answer is "Yes, you need an SSL certificate for your website."