Introduction
With the threat of data breaches, phishing scams and other hazards constantly looming over e-commerce websites, every site-owner is concerned about security and data protection. Without this, your visitors face the risk of having their data stolen. Most customers are aware of the risks of sharing personal and financial information online when they make purchases. Seeing that your website has an SSL certificate gives them the confidence that your site is a secure one.
What is an SSL certificate?
SSL stands for Secure Socket Layer. It is a data encryption technology first launched by Netscape more than two decades ago. This feature creates an encrypted connection between your web server and the visitor’s browser so that confidential data can be transferred without the risk of it being leaked. You will have noticed that some website URLs begin with http while others begin with https. The “s” indicates that this site has an SSL certificate and data encryption that is guaranteed by this certificate. This is a digital certificate that is part of a public key infrastructure (PKI). PKI is a system of digital certificates, certificate authorities, and registration authorities that validates and verifies each party in electronic transactions using public key cryptography. SSL certificates can be purchased from a Certificate Authority that independently verifies you and your organisation. Once you have proved your identity, you are granted the certificate.
Benefits of SSL certificates
SSL certification is a simple, efficient and secure channel that enables secure data transfer. It confers huge benefits to website and business owners, visitors and customers:
- Protects your website from man-in-the-middle attacks/phishing/eavesdropping/sniffing attacks.
- Fake sites cannot acquire SSL certificates, so the lack of SSL certificate serves as a warning.
- Https is a ranking signal for the Google algorithm – this helps you to rank higher on search pages.
- Boosts brand value and promotes trust especially on e-commerce sites.
- Makes it safer for credit card transactions. Non-SSL sites are not PCI (payment card industry) compliant.
- Helps you to meet customer expectations of safe shopping experiences.
For more information on how an SSL certificate will benefit your company’s website, give Cloud.co.za a call today.
