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Most of us spend a lot of our time online- personal use, selling, buying, researching- the internet is a one stop shop for almost everything you need to do and understand. When you visit a website, the url (or www.mysite.com) located in the browser bar gives us a lot of information about the site that we are on- and how safe we are on it. One of those visual cues is the https:// instead of the http:// at the beginning. When you see the “s” is https://, the site is more secure because it has SSL encryption. SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer.
GoDaddy does a great job explaining SSL ” Think of an SSL certificate as a giant windshield for when you drive on the information super-highway. You wouldn’t head out on your local freeway — especially at night in a rural area — without something between you and all the bugs. You likely couldn’t see, and besides, you’ve already had your protein for breakfast. In much the same way, an SSL certificate protects your site — and its visitors — from many digital bugs, worms and other nasty web creatures.”
Many of us don’t even consider the security of going, and in some cases, purchasing online- as we assume the websites we visit are secure and our hosts have taken care of it. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case, and as a result, web browsers are protecting their own business by exposing sites that are not secure and therefore possibly putting you in an unsafe situation online without your knowledge.
Securing your site is very affordable and has several benefits including building trust and brand power, protecting your site from cybercrime and encrypting sensitive information. It also has the added benefit of helping you understand your website referring traffic analytics better by better identifying referral sources (how people get to your website).
Google announced earlier this year (with other search engines following suit) that it will flag ALL UNENCRYPTED TRAFFIC by adding a “NOT SECURE” warning to the browser bar before the URL. It will now be very obvious to the user that their information isn’t protected. The big visual reminder will certainly be a deterrent to users who otherwise would not have paid attention.
The bottom line: Protect your website and show your clients you care about their security online. Purchase an SSL Certificate and get secure today.
If you have any SSL-specific questions, let us know in the comments!
