It is no fun and games to see all your data and information getting hacked. While in these COVID times, when almost everything is taken up in the online space, it has become more than vital to add an extra layer of security. That is when implementing security measures such as installing an SSL certificate would help us profusely and will help us in handling our sensitive data better. Today, in this blog, we will walk you through the top five reasons that will push you towards getting an SSL certificate for your site. But before that, let us first brush up on some of the basics and then delve into the reasons. So, without any further ado, let us get started.
What is an SSL Certificate?
An SSL Certificate is the backbone of secure communications over the Internet. It protects your private data and is a must for safeguarding your transactions as well. It also helps encrypt the in-transit data so that it does not get decrypted before reaching its final destination. It is denoted by a green padlock on the top of the URL and starts with an HTTPS URL sign. Let us now look at the five reasons as stated.
- Helps to Encrypts Sensitive Information and protects data
- Leads to enhanced Search Engine Ranking
- Aids You in Satisfying PCI/DSS Requirements
- Augments Customer Trust
- Affirms Your Identity
Helps to Encrypts Sensitive Information and protects data
The core function of an SSL certificate is to encrypt data and to protect server-client communication. When you install an SSL certificate, you will see that every byte of your information is encrypted. In simpler words, the data is locked and can only be seen by the intended recipient.
Also, the SSL certificates will help you protect your data theft from the mischievous pool of hackers and cybercriminals. In fact, during a client and server communication, it is seen that the data is vulnerable to cyber threats throughout the journey, and there are higher chances of the data getting misused. This is exactly what the SSL certificate helps in keeping a tab at. As a website owner, you must know that the safety of your information is a responsibility on your shoulders.
This is where the SSL certificate scan cut you some slack by taking that responsibility off your shoulders. Also, you will find many variants of SSL certificate providers in the market from which you can choose as per your need. This has been seen as a cost-effective and efficient solution to steer away from the potential cyber risks.
Leads to enhanced Search Engine Ranking
It is no surprise that Google’s algorithm has been designed to give preference to the sites that are SSL certified. Simply put, the sites that have given no backseats to the trust and security factor will tend to hover higher on the search engine pages. This will then lead to more visitors hopping on to your site and thus will fetch you more conversions. The reason behind Google’s algorithm is simple. It will of course put those sites in the spotlight that it has credibility on – the ones that will not disappoint the audience over the ones who have a higher chance of disappointing the users.
Aids You in Satisfying PCI/DSS Requirements
If you are accepting online payments, you must know some dos and don’ts before that. To begin with, if you wish to accept credit card information, you will have to pass certain audits that will reveal that you are complying with the payment card industry or PCI standards. And for this, one of the must-have requirements is the SSL Certificate. In fact, as per the PCI/DSS guidelines, one of their top 12 pivotal requirements is having the SSL certificate installed on your site.
The thing is, PCI compliance needs authentic encryption for the credentials of a credit or debit card while it is undergoing a transit. On that note, a minimum of 128-bit encryption is a must in an SSL certificate to comply with the PCI compliance. And then again, this is something that the customer is interested to see – whether or not to do business with a site that obeys the PCI rules or defies them blatantly.
Augments Customer Trust
No customer would want to become a victim of cyber fraud. But, it is no fun and games there. That is why the first thing that the customers look for when they hop onto a new site is the presence of a green padlock on the top of the URL. This sign stands as a testament that the site’s in-transit communication is encrypted, and the transactions here are secured. This means that the visitors will now trust you more.
The primary reason behind this is the HTTPS URL sign that gives the stamp of authenticity and trust to the users. An SSL-certified site will also guard against phishing attacks. None of your private or confidential data that you shared will be leaked now. The data will not get decrypted until and unless it does not reach its final destination as stated. Therefore, this is something that customers love to see on a site.
Affirms Your Identity
One of the biggest tasks of an SSL certificate is to render authentication to a site. As far as the security of a website is concerned, identity verification is the one that cannot take a backseat. The process here is easy. When you have decided to install an SSL certificate, you will have to go through a validation process that has already been set up by an independent party called the CA or certificate authority.
Now the work of the CA is to verify your identity. Once you have cracked that step, your website will then bag trust indicators – something that your customers want to see. Thus, installing the SSL certificates will help users trust you more, come back more, and do business with you for more instances. This calls for a win-win for both the customer as well as the company.
That’s a Wrap
The article has walked you through the reasons why you must get an SSL Certificate. Before you are all set to install an SSL certificate, make sure that you do that from a reliable source and that you have checked the reviews and previous customer experiences from the site. Hope these five reasons would have given you some food for thought and would nudge you in the direction to get an SSL certificate if you haven’t gotten one for your company now.