Google is starting to crack down on website that don’t have an SSL Certificate, and with good reason. With ransomware and cyber hacks increasing on a daily basis that security of your website is more important than ever before, particularly for your online clients.
Starting at the very beginning, what is an SSL Certificate?
An SSL Certificate or ‘secure sockets layer’ is the crux of our internet security – it protects our valuable information from cyber hackers. It’s a security protocol that enforces encrypted communication between the web browser such as Chrome, Safari or Mozilla Firefox, and your web server (where your website is hosted) and it’s essential for website that receive customer information keeping it secure and confidential. This customer information includes passwords, usernames, addresses, email addresses, credit card and banking information.
The benefits of an SSL Certificate
It encrypts information – data and information passes through more than one computer before it arrives at its destination which means that third parties can gain access to that information if it isn’t correctly protected. The main objective of an SSL Certificate is encrypting the information between the intended parties so that when it passes through third parties it is full of random characters making it almost impossible to decipher and use. Without an SSL the information is submitted in plain text meaning it is available to prying eyes.
The quickest and easiest indication of whether or not a website is secure is through the ‘https’ protocol in the URL/website address.
As an example:
Without an SSL Certificate our website would be – http://www.websitedesigncentre.com.au
But now, our website URL appears as:
https://www.websitedesigncentre.com.au
It’s a small change, but it means a lot to our cyber security and customer safety online. If a website still has the outdated ‘http’ website address, customers will know that the site is not secure. Studies have indicated that consumers are very aware of this protocol and will be reluctant to share information or complete transactions with an unprotected website.
Having a website that is not secure can have dire consequences for your business. Google and antivirus software will now be labelling any websites that do not have SSL as ‘not secure’.
It’s compulsory for e-commerce websites – If you have an online store or take any kind of payments through your website, then you must have aa SSL Certificate and at least 128-bit encryption on your site to comply with Payment Card Industry Compliance. This requirement ensures that your customers’ information is secure and cannot be intercepted by third parties. This benefits not only your customers but your business’ reputation. And, by displaying authenticated seals or badges that show customers your site is secure, customers have an added level of assurance and trust in your brand and business.
How does an SSL Certificate affect your Google ranking
Https is not a new protocol, but it is a new recommendation from Google. In 2014 Google started their initiative to make the web more secure and introduced the slogan ‘https everywhere’. As a result, all Google searches quickly became https secured, and now websites are starting to make the transition. This is why Google now favours SSL Certified websites. Chrome, as part of Google, is also flagging old Http sites as ‘not secure’. There’s no excuse to delay your SSL Certification any longer.
If you weren’t previously familiar with SSL Certificates, you’ll soon start to notice them on your favourite websites. Modern web browsers will display the site as secure; this label is applied beside the beginning of the website’s URL.
Do you want to keep your business’ website secure for your customers? Website security is important to us. Get in touch with the Website Design Centre team today and we can update your website with a verified SSL Certificate.
