What is an SSL Certificate?
I’m sure when you’ve been shopping online you’ve noticed that shops often have website addresses that start with https:// instead of http:// and also some of them show their web address or company name in green and show a tiny padlock in the address bar. Its especially used on banks and financial websites like Paypal.
What does an SSL certificate do?
Having a SSL Certificate applied to a domain, means that the domain address is secure and any data that is transferred is encrypted. And it is doing this by holding an SSL certificate applied to the transmitting of data, which is sort of like putting a letter in an envelope before putting it in the post.
Does my website need a SSL Certificate?
Previously, having an SSL certificate was only really relevant if you were a shop or if you stored customer data. But Google has decided to encourage the web to be a more secure place in general and so its is going to start to prioritise websites that have a secure web address and SSL certificate regardless of the level of data it is transmitting. It is only a very lightweight signal for ranking at the moment as they recognise that people need time to make the changes but it will probably get strengthened in the future.
Having a secure web address and SSL certificate can also help to inspire confidence for your clients as its a statement that you are taking their security seriously.
How do I get a SSL Certificate?
There are lots of different certificates available and usually your host will be able to supply you with one and apply to your domain for you. They range in price from £80.00 per year to £280.00 per year depending on what level of security you need. It is also advisable for someone to provide some re-directing services from your old domain to the new one to keep Google happy as well.
So if you’d like to find out more about applying an SSL certificate to your website and which certificate is appropriate for your website, then please get in touch with me.
