An SSL certificate as a guarantee
of security on the internet
Now that we make hundreds of transactions every day, entering our data online, it is hugely important to do so in a safe way.
Wherever customer security is a priority, SSL is indispensable!
Unfortunately, many people simply do not realise how important this matter is and what SSL itself is. Read our article and find out what the benefits of having an SSL certificate are.
In short
An SSL certificate encrypts the connection between the browser and the server (the padlock and "https"), so that the data sent on the site is not visible to third parties. Today this is standard — Google flags sites without SSL as "not secure", and the lack of a certificate lowers trust and indirectly affects rankings. Importantly, though: SSL secures the transmission of data, but it is NOT a full "guarantee of security" for a site — it does not protect against hacking, weak passwords or vulnerabilities in plugins.
What is SSL?
An SSL certificate, that is — from the English Secure Socket Layer – is an extremely popular tool whose job is to protect websites and the customers who use them. An SSL certificate is essential everywhere we enter data. Any situation where you have to log in using a username and password, or where you have to enter your home address (e.g. when shopping online), or where you provide your credit card number, should not take place on a site that does not have SSL. Nowadays having the protocol is a worldwide standard, implemented by all companies that respect their customers and care about their security.
How does it work?
If there is no SSL certificate on your site, then every form filled in by the user or other data sent to the server is transmitted in the form of plain text, which people with bad intentions can intercept and exploit fairly easily.
None of us wants our login details, for example to a bank, to fall into the wrong hands and be used to take out a loan or to clean out our account of all our savings.
That is why SSL is a solution thanks to which the transmission of data between the server and the user takes place in an encrypted manner, which blocks data leaks and access to information.
Have a shop – think like a customer:
If you shop online yourself, you certainly have your own opinion about security. Many customers avoid making purchases on sites that are not marked as secure. So if you too earn money from selling online, think like a customer and protect yourself right now against the unpleasant consequences that can befall you in connection with an unsecured site.
SSL – a security certificate
Security during data transmission is ensured by the AES key. All data transmitted using the HTTPS protocol is secured by Transport Layer Security, that is the TLS protocol, which protects by means of:
Encrypting the data exchanged between the user's device and the server, so that it is fully confidential and secure.
Data integrity, which means that during transmission the data cannot be altered by third parties, and if this does happen it is automatically detected.
Protection against redirection to another website, a deceptively similar one set up to phish for data, passwords and account numbers (the phenomenon of phishing).
SSL is essential on:
- every online shop
- auction sites
- sites that require logging in
- banks
- school and university websites
- government sites that offer the option of submitting applications, declarations and other documents electronically
- e-mail handling systems
- sites on which users set up profiles and accounts by providing private data (first names, surnames, addresses and passwords)
Google's attitude to SSL
As we read on Google's official blog https://security.googleblog.com/2016/09/moving-towards-more-secure-web.html, from January every site that collects passwords or credit card data and connects using the unsecured http protocol will receive a "not secure" marking. In a later step it is also planned to mark all http sites in the same way, regardless of whether or not they collect such data.
How do you recognise a site secured with a certificate?
Sites equipped with an SSL certificate have an appropriate marking in the address bar, which is https:// instead of the previous unsecured http://.
Next to the address we will also find a padlock icon, which we see when using internet banking. The rule is that the more green there is in the address, the better.
An example site with an SSL certificate (Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox).
SSL – needed or not needed???
- Do you have a service that requires logging in?
- Do you offer registration of accounts and profiles?
- Do you run an online shop?
- Does your site handle payments?
- Do you collect user data through a form on the site?
If your answer to even one question is "YES", then you need an SSL certificate!
The certificate is an inexpensive solution that has a huge impact on the whole site.
Why? Everyone knows that the web is teeming with all kinds of criminals and fraudsters. And for everyone who does not want to come into contact with such situations, it is clear that a site simply has to be secured. It was for exactly this purpose that someone, once, created and refined SSL certificates, allowing us, the users, to use the web safely without fear of "our data leaking out".
Benefits of having an SSL certificate:
- Protection – encryption of confidential data transmitted via the site.
- Trust – Users are more willing to make purchases or register when they see that the site is secured with a certificate.
- Credibility – of the website as well as of the whole company.
- Prestige – You show customers that security principles are very important to you.
- Security – By investing in SSL you secure your company at every stage.
- Interest – customers who feel safe with you will be more willing to delve into your offer.
Have you heard of the phenomenon known as PHISHING?
Imagine that you log in to internet banking as usual and someone "substitutes", instead of the bank's site, their own version which is almost identical to the original, and you fill in your login details on it, including your password and customer number. Spooky? And rightly so! That is precisely what phishing is. This is how thousands of people all over the world are deceived. What is the role of SSL here? Anyone who wants to deceive us will not be able to "forge" the SSL certificate itself, which proves the authenticity of the site, which means we will not see the green padlock in the address bar. In such a situation, never log in!
The main advantages of SSL
A plus for SEO
Since 2017, Google has been marking very clearly which sites are secured and which do not use SSL certificates. Having this kind of protection has a very good effect on positioning, because Google appreciates user security and scores secured sites more highly.
The AES key
Despite the fact that websites are secured in various ways, the SSL certificate has not yet been broken, thanks to protection using a 256-bit AES key.
A sense of security
Protection in the form of the https:// protocol or a green padlock is an element that creates a sense of security. This in turn translates into the customer's attachment to and trust in the company, as well as into profits – because it turns out that SSL contributes to reducing the bounce rate or, for example, abandoned baskets.
The highest standard
Security online is a worldwide standard that will be continuously developed, and there is no doubt about that. Sooner or later, site owners will have to adapt to the standards and take care of users' security.
Google Shopping
Already now a condition for using Google Merchant Center is having an SSL certificate, without which you will not be able to present your products either in Google Shopping or in other services.
Integration with Facebook
Linking online shops with a company profile created on Facebook, thanks to which we gain new opportunities to advertise and acquire new customers, is also conditional on having SSL.
A low price
By spending £25 on a one-year SSL certificate, you will pay only 7 pence a day for security. Thanks to the wide range on offer, you will easily choose the right type of certificate for the needs of your site or shop, and then easily implement it into the system.
Credibility
SSL is a guarantee of the credibility of the website on which it is implemented. So if a user sends their data via the site, they can be sure that it goes exactly where they want, because unauthorised persons have no way of altering it.
Choosing an SSL certificate
Certificates are divided into 3 basic groups, depending on the type of checking and verification:
DV (Domain Validation)
This is basic authentication, where the certificates encrypt the transmission of data within the certified domain. When ordering an SSL certificate, it is verified whether the company applying for the certificate has the right to use a given domain. In this case, that person's data is not verified.
OV (Organization Validation)
This is extended authentication, which covers encryption of data transmission within the certified domain, and also protects against eavesdropping on the transmission and against phishing. In this case there is also verification of whether a given person or company has the right to use the domain, and their data is also checked. After the certificate has been implemented, the company name is visible in the address bar after clicking on the security icon, such as the padlock.
EV (Extended Validation)
That is, full authentication. EV is the group in the case of which we are dealing with the broadest verification of the identity of the company ordering such a certificate. The applicant is checked in terms of the actual business activity carried out, legal status, consistency with official records and, of course, the right to use the domain. The address bar is additionally highlighted in green, and we can additionally display information about the company.
Apply for a certificate
As you can see, the benefits of having an SSL certificate on a website or online shop are enormous and translate directly into the site's position in search engines and into profits. Ensure your own security and prestige and catch up with worldwide standards by ordering an SSL security certificate.
You can also ask about an SSL certificate at our agency (contact).
