Want to keep your business and your customers safe?
If your small business website doesn’t have an SSL certificate installed, you could be putting people’s information at risk. This could also result in decreased website traffic, which ruins your chances of ranking highly on Google.
Not sure what an SSL certificate is?
If you’ve ever browsed the internet and saw a padlock next to the URL, then you were on an SSL-certified website that encrypts their traffic. You might have also noticed that the URL will have ‘https://’ before it. Websites that aren’t secured by an SSL certificate will have a red padlock or one with a cross through it, and have a ‘http://’ URL.
Most visitors won’t trust the site if it doesn’t have said padlock.
When a website doesn’t have an SSL certificate, then the data passed back and forth isn’t encrypted. That means hackers can read everything going on in your site in plain text. This includes credit card information, passwords, and any personal details entered.
But that’s not all. Hackers can also inject malicious code into your website. They can insert ads, viruses, pop-ups, and completely destroy your site without you knowing.
If that wasn’t enough to convince you, here are 6 benefits of having an SSL certificate:
#1: SSL Certificates Increase Trust
While visitors might not understand the technical aspects of an SSL certificate, they do know that websites with it are generally safer. This padlock is a quick way for them to know that the information they enter on your site is safe.
Depending on the internet browser you’re using, green text saying “Secure” may show up next to your URL if your site is SSL certified and a red “Not secure” text if not.
If the absence of a padlock didn’t deter that visitor, there’s a good chance reading that text will.
#2: SSL Certificates Help Your Site Get Traffic
Have you ever clicked on a website and landed on a scary “Your connection is not private” page?
The majority of people will quickly leave the website or click the big blue “Back to safety” button. But if you wanted to see what was behind it and continue to the site, you would have to click through multiple options before finding a “Go ahead and visit this website” link.
Doesn’t sound like a big deal?
Imagine yourself in this situation: You’re browsing through the internet for a new pair of jeans. You Google for “jeans” and open up a dozen tabs to find deals. After quickly going through each tab, you find one that says “Your connection is not private”.
What do you do?
You close it and move on to the next.
But that’s not even the worst-case scenario. Imagine having your customers refer you to their friends by sharing your website over social media. But after clicking onto your site, they see that dreaded warning.
Guess what? That’s a potential customer your business just lost.
Also, if they wanted to work with you, they might Google your business name to find your website. Since yours isn’t secure, chances are you won’t even show up on the first page, and they’ll end up checking out your competitors’ website instead. That’s no good!
#3: SSL Certificates Boost Search Engine Rankings
Search engines, especially Google, want their users to have the best experience possible. What would it mean to them if search results were not secure and allowed hackers to steal information?
It would destroy their brand trust with other searchers.
This is why websites which don’t have an SSL certificate rank poorly on search engines. In fact, Google has made it an official factor in search results.
Also, an unsecured website skyrockets bounce rates (meaning visitors click on your website, but then leave without doing anything). This signals to search engines that people don’t want to see your page in the search results. This causes your rankings to drop even further down.
#4: SSL Certificates Keep Your Website PCI-Compliant
Does your website take online payments?
If it does, the Payments Card Industry (PCI) says that your domain must have an SSL certificate provided by a reliable source. This ensures that your customers are safe when entering their card details on your website.
Even if you use a third-party payment processor such as PayPal, Square, or Stripe, you still need to have an SSL certificate.
#5: SSL Certificates Prevent Hackers and Phishing Attempts
Did you know hackers can create a copy of your website and publish it in minutes?
All over the world, people are scammed by fake websites or “phishing” sites. But there is one easy way for a visitor to quickly determine if the website they’re on is real.
By checking to see if there is an SSL certificate (through the padlock or https:// URL), visitors will know if they’re on the real website or not. Unfortunately, if your website doesn’t have this, people can’t tell if your site is legitimate. Hackers love to target sites without SSL certificates for phishing attempts, as it is even harder to identify the actual one.
#6: You Can Get an SSL Certificate for Free
Luckily, many web hosting providers offer a free SSL certificate with their plans. At Hosting Outlook, we have reviewed these providers and tested them all.
Your small business website can experience the benefits of increased customer trust, higher search engine rankings, more website traffic, and a safer experience.
These web hosts offer premium quality SSL certificates that use 256-bit encryption provided by trustworthy sources. These SSL certificates can then be automatically added to your website. Alternatively, their support team can help you with the installation if needed.
Hopefully you now understand the value of SSL Certificates for your business website. To recap:
- SSL Certificates Increase Trust
- SSL Certificates Help Your Site Get More Traffic
- SSL Certificates Boost Search Engine Rankings
- SSL Certificates Keep Your Website PCI-Compliant
- SSL Certificates Prevent Hackers and Phishing Attempts
- You Can Get an SSL Certificate for Free
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