With Internet consumption growing it is the responsibility of website owners to ensure their visitors are secure and protected.
SSL certificates protect a considerable amount of traffic on the Internet and according to Google:
- SSLs protect over 68% of Chrome browser traffic on Android and Windows devices.
- SSLs protect over 78% of traffic on Chrome and Mac OS.
- 81 of the top 100 websites on the web use https:// by default.
Ensuring your website is secure not only puts you with good company but provides benefits to your site and visitors.
If you’ve been holding back because you are unsure if you need an SSL certificate in July 2018, Google introduced new HTTPS security. The introduction within Chrome 68 shows websites as insecure if there is no SSL certificate.
Why are SSL certificates important?
When visiting any website, it involves the sharing of data over the Internet. While using the Internet, people have basic expectations that they are dealing with legitimate companies that are protecting their data.
When visitors submit personal data on your website, they are trusting you that the transaction is secure and their data is safe.
Because it is so important to protect customer data, Google is actively encouraging website owners to add SSL protection. Google displays security warnings for any website collecting visitor data as ‘site not secure’ for all websites without SSL protection.
To gain trust and repeat business you can use an SSL trust seal. These seals or badges are images issued by a Certificate Authority that attests your website has met criteria for trustworthiness.
According to a Comodo blog post, ‘consumers are very aware of trust marks and understand what they represent.’
Increase your websites SEO
While Google is actively encouraging website owners to secure their website they are also offering other small incentives.
SSL certificates, believe it or not, also help your site rank higher in search engines.
Google wants all websites to have SSL certificates, and they’ve made no secret of their efforts to reward compliant sites. In 2014, they began giving HTTPS sites a small ranking boost and in 2015, admitted that they provide search priority to more secure websites.
With this increased pressure, even websites that do not request customer data, having an SSL certificate will help your site in organic searches.
What if I don’t have an e-commerce site?
Securing data for your blog or small business is one more step in creating a less vulnerable, more robust and trustworthy network.
Websites with even a peripheral connection to that network can provide a perfect insertion point for malware.
Think of adding an SSL as contributing your link in a more extensive protective fence around the Internet.
We offer FREE SSL certificates via Let’s Encrypt that are available for all of our UK hosting plans.
How to get an SSL for your website
Regardless of the kind of website you run, we hope we have given you an insight into the importance of adding an SSL certificate to your site.
At Weave Hosting we offer a handful of SSL’s to meet all of your security needs.
Once you’ve chosen the SSL assurance suitable for your website, we (Weave Hosting) submit your information to a separate company. This company is known as a Certificate Authority (CA) such as Comodo for validation.
The CA confirms your information as valid and issues your SSL in the form of a cryptographic key that protects
Should you get stuck, reassured that support from the team at Weave Hosting is available to guide you and advise.
If we have convinced you to take the next step and secure your website, then there has never been a better time. Check out Weave Hosting’s range of