It has been known for a while that an SSL certificate can bring advantages to your website; however, many people are unsure of the exact reasons as to why it is a useful layer of protection to have and even more, people are unaware of the potential disadvantages. We are going to discuss and explain the importance of SSL certificates and hopefully help you to understand whether you should have one for your site.
SSL stands for Secure Socket Layer and it is a protocol to secure websites and internet communications. A website that has an SSL will have a small padlock before the website’s URL is the address bar and a site without an SSL will have a circle with the letter “i” inside, followed by “Not secure”. If you click this “Not Secure” button, you will see a small drop-down with a short text provided by Google to warn you about putting sensitive information such as card details and passwords on the site.
Benefits of having an SSL
One benefit of using an SSL on your site is that it encrypts all the information stored and used on your site. This protects card information and passwords preventing hackers from being able to steal and use the information.
Another benefit of having an SSL is that it verifies your site. It tells your visitors that this is a legitimate site and not a fake version. Many people have fallen victim to scams like this, commonly known as Phishing scams, and having an SSL can reassure your visitors.
Having an SSL has been confirmed by Google to help you rank better in search results. The Google algorithm has been tweaked to benefit sites that have SSL certificates and it is clear to see when you look at the top results for almost any keyword and the vast majority will have an SSL.
Disadvantages of having an SSL
The main disadvantage is the cost of buying and setting up an SSL. A cheap SSL can cost as little as £30 per year and the highest-end ones can cost £2000 per year. The issue is that quality does matter when it comes to these certificates and the cheapest ones are very poor and unreliable. This can then lead to further confusion about where to buy the SSL from and who to trust.
If you are concerned about the security of your website and want a security certificate you can rely on, look no further than Third Avenue Creative. We can provide you with a high quality SSL certificate at great value. For more information on this, please contact us today and see if we can help you.