Why your online business needs an SSL certificate

It's basically common knowledge that every website, no matter what its purpose, needs an SSL certificate. Not only do SSLs secure the traffic directed to your site, they will also get you in most browsers' good books.

These days, major web browsers, such as Firefox and Chrome, mark websites without an SSL as "not trusted" and advise potential visitors against proceeding. So, if you don't have an SSL, your website is likely to face a lot of difficulty. 

So, where do businesses come into this? While an SSL certificate provides an essential boost to your general website security, if you have an online business or e-commerce store, it will also help your business in several other ways, too.

Read on to learn how.

Why your online business needs an SSL certificate Picture 1

It protects your customers

So, we've already talked about the benefits of an SSL, but for this point we need to talk a little about what an SSL certificate actually does. What does "securing" traffic actually mean? In the case of an SSL certificate, it means encryption.

An SSL certificate creates an encrypted connection between your server (where your website lives) and a client (often a user's web browser). Encryption ensures that anything sent over this connection is rendered unreadable to any dodgy people that might try intercepting it while it's in transit. 

This is of great benefit to your website users, particularly if you run an e-commerce store. If you ask for any sensitive details, like personal information or credit card details, an SSL certificate will ensure that nobody else has access to it.

It helps build trust

An extension of the previous point, an SSL certificate can serve as a key marker of trust. Savvy web users will know that your site is secured by SSL through such indicators as the padlock symbol in the address bar and the "https" before the web address when they click on it. You can also display a trust seal from your Certificate Authority somewhere on your site. 

While not all users know exactly what an SSL certificate does, most do know it's important for safe web browsing. Having an SSL shows that your online business cares about customer well-being, and that will encourage them to continue browsing your site and perhaps even convert.

Plus, as mentioned earlier, most web browsers will flag you as "not trusted" if you don't have an SSL, so not having one is basically akin to throwing away customers before you even have a chance to attract them.

It boosts SEO

Major search engines (Google in particular) have been pushing for more widespread SSL adoption for a few years now. Back in 2014, Google even revealed that it gives a search engine ranking boost to websites that have an SSL certificate over websites that don't.

So if you want your website to show up in search engine rankings, getting an SSL certificate is one thing that could improve your chances. 

Conclusion

In this article we discussed the myriad ways an SSL certificate can boost your online business. In this day and age it's basically a detriment to your business to not have an SSL. Whether you've already launched or are thinking about starting a website, you should get an SSL certificate for your site ASAP.

Kareem Winters

Update 31 July 2020