SSL: Why Is It Useful?

 

Your website is the face of your business on the internet. This means that it’s essential to keep everything secure. One way to make your website safe and secure for customers to transact is by using SSL certificates.

SSL certificates provide security between the user’s computer, your website, and any sensitive data transmitted. However, suppose your business doesn’t have an SSL certificate. In that case, it could be leaving itself open to hackers trying to steal personal information or other important data from its site.

These hackers will likely come in through the browser since most people don’t know how to install an SSL certificate on their computers, so they rely on whichever sites they visit daily for this protection. It’s also not uncommon for frustrated customers of non-secure websites to take their business elsewhere if there isn’t enough.

What is SSL?

SSL or Secure Sockets Layer is an encryption-based security protocol. It is designed to provide a secure channel between two devices or machines operating over the internet. One good example is the SSL used to secure communication between a web server and a web browser.

The padlock icon is displayed on top of the webpage or website once SSL has been installed. The referred page does not use the HTTPS protocol without the padlock icon, so data transmission is not secure.

By moving your cursor over the secure HTTPS section of the URL bar, you can view the security credentials of the website you are on.

What is an SSL certificate?

An SSL certificate is a digital certificate that binds a website’s identity to a cryptographic key pair that consists of a public key and a private key. Adding an SSL certificate to a company’s website will protect customer information and secure online transactions.

Since SSL protocol was introduced about 25 years ago, there have been several versions, all of which have run into security problems at some point. TLS, or Transport Layer Security, was later revamped and renamed and is still used today. Unfortunately, the initials SSL stuck, so the new version of the protocol is still referred to by its old name.

Why is SSL important?

As most of our daily transactions and communications happen online, there is very little reason not to use SSL. The information security principles that SSL supports include:

• Encryption: SSL protects data transmission from browser to server, application to a server, server to server, etc.
• Data integrity: SSL ensures that the data you request or submit actually matches the information you receive
• Authentication: Make sure you’re connecting to the correct server.

You can use SSL to secure:

• System logins and any sensitive information exchanged online
• Online credit card transaction
• Workflow and virtualization applications
• Webmails servers like Exchange, Outlook, and Office Communication Server
• Hosting control panel logins and activities like cPanel, Parallels, and others.
• Intranet-based traffic includes file sharing, internal networks, database connection, and extranets.
• File transfer over HTTPS and FTP services

How does SSL improve SEO ranking?

Using SSL certificates on a website would make browsing and visiting the site more comfortable. However, when it comes to search engine rankings, Google prefers websites with SSL certificates. As part of Google’s attempt to create a secure web environment, it filters search results based on the verification and authenticity of related websites while enforcing stricter guidelines on the general security of the web. By doing so, SSL-certified and trusted websites are given preference, thereby improving their SEO rankings.

Does SSL help SEO?

Perhaps you’re wondering what SSL has to do with SEO. It is common for SEO to boost a website’s performance by using suitable and relevant keywords. However, that is not enough to boost the website’s overall traffic.

Search engine like Google Chrome alerts users when they visit an HTTP website with an ‘i’ icon in place of the padlock.

Upon tapping, a warning indicates that the website isn’t secure and confidential information isn’t encrypted. Users are advised not to enter sensitive information on this website. With this warning, users know if their personal information is at a greater risk of being compromised. SSL and SEO are therefore related, and SSL does affect SEO rankings.

Global networks such as the World Wide Web are dynamic. New things are introduced every day to succeed what was new yesterday. Since the internet and its numerous features are changing rapidly, it can be difficult to identify something worth investing in. Nevertheless, the need for data authenticity and security over the internet does not change. Data protection and privacy have become the topmost priorities of millions of internet users and website owners.