The websites that are highly secured are trusted by the Internet users. How do you know that your website is safe and secure for your customers to access it? It is by having an SSL certificate. You may have noticed the website addresses starting with ‘http’ and ‘https’ on the URL space bar. How will adding an extra ‘s’ make a website different? The letter ‘s’ in ‘https’ tells that your connection to a specific website is encrypted and secured.
The small ‘s’ shows that the website is powered by the SSL technology, which helps safeguard your information, as well as your customers’.
What is an SSL certificate?
A Secure Socket Layers or an SSL certificate ensures secure connections between the users’ web browsers and web servers through the RSA encryption algorithm. It is a digital certificate, and it authenticates a website’s identity by ensuring that the information is encrypted using asymmetric cryptography algorithm or SSL technology before being sent on the Internet.
Today you can find most websites using SSL certificates, which help establish their credentials and lower the risk of the users’ sensitive information like login credentials, email addresses and credit card numbers stolen by identity thieves or hackers.
By using an SSL certificate, you assure that your website is secured and any information transmitted on the web are encrypted. Your business will enjoy several benefits if it has SSL certificates. Here are some of the important ones:
- They make your website safe and secure
With SSL certificates, you protect your website from hackers. These certificates predominantly safeguard any sensitive information the user transmits to the server. Using the 256-bit encryption, an SSL certificate is the latest and most advanced encryption algorithm, and it can protect any information from malicious intruders. The hacker who tries to intercept cannot understand the data due to the strongest encryption algorithm. Your online store is therefore safe for the customers who shop and pay using any payment gateway.
- They affirm your identity
When you are online, you don’t know which websites are genuine, and are safe to access. You may have come across innumerable cases, where people complain about losing money online. They admitted that they have transmitted confidential information by believing a URL link or website to be true. The Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) has warned online users about ecommerce scams. People who pay money directly to an account and not through the system are at a high risk of losing money. Similarly, avoid falling in promotions offering huge discounts.
To install an SSL certificate, you need to undergo a validation process framed by Certificate Authority (CA), which validates your identity. The trust indicators, which your business website gets, assert your integrity and keep away phishing attacks.
- They help secure payments
With an SSL certificate at an affordable price, you have 256-bit encryption to shield the users’ card payment details. For your ecommerce store, it is essential to have a valid SSL certificate to receive payments. This is one among the twelve important requisites designed by PCI DSS or the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard.
- They have your customers’ trust
Your website will have your customers’ trust if it installs an SSL certificate. The padlock icon on the left-hand side of the URL space bar ensures the legitimacy of your website.
With numerous service providers online, you can secure your website by opting for an SSL certificate through any of the plans such as a Standard or Premium, offering different levels of encryption.