In this day and age, cyber security is a major concern for any business, big or small. SSL certificates are one of the best ways in which a company can protect its website and its customers from cyber vulnerabilities.

What is a SSL Certificate and who needs them?

A SSL Certificate is a Secure Socket Layer Certificate that encrypts data in real-time so that information is kept secure between a customer’s website browser and the business’ server.

It is a necessity for websites that gather personal data or online stores that process payments. Websites that are purely informative in nature, such as blogs or information-based business sites, don’t necessarily need it, but it could be advantageous.

Why? On most search engines, HTTP websites display as HTTPS with this security protocol enabled. Currently, however, Google Chrome takes this a bit further by displaying the word “SECURE” too.

Sites that do not have an SSL certificate enabled display with an “i”.

As of July this year, Chrome 68 will replace this “i” with: “UNSECURE”.

Although this alone is reason enough for any business to consider an SSL Certificate, there are substantial benefits to it too.

Advantages of SSL Certificates

1. Data encryption – As mentioned before, an SSL Certificate encrypts your customers’ data. All sensitive information can therefore be protected from third parties.

2. Customer confidence – With cyber security constantly in the lime light, give your customers peace of mind that their data is safe on your website.

3. A requirement for payment gateways – An SSL Certificate is one of the requirements for having a payment gateway installed on your online store.

4. Boost SEO ranking – Google likes secure websites. An SSL Certificate is therefore a great way to enhance your current ranking status.

5. Give customers what they expect – Customers are becoming savvy internet users. They know their information can be hacked and they have come to expect companies to take internet security seriously.

To secure your website with an SSL or see additional information on SSL’s please see here: