So everyone and their mother seems to be telling you to buy an SSL certificate to secure your site. But you don’t get the big deal about SSL certificates. Would it really be such a bad thing if you didn’t get one? What exactly does it do, anyway?
This article will address all your doubts and explain why an SSL is so essential for every website.
Encrypted protection for you and your users
People aren’t just telling you to get SSL for fun. SSL certificates play a fundamental role in website security. When you install one on your server, it ensures that anyone accessing your site through their browser will have an encrypted connection. What exactly does this mean? It means that if your user is sending sensitive data, such as through logging in with a password or purchasing with a credit card, no third party has access to this information. Encryption renders the data unreadable while it’s in transit, and only the intended recipient can read it.
The easy version of how this works is that SSL certificates use something called the TLS protocol to facilitate secure communications to your site. When your site’s server and a user’s client (like a browser) interact, they engage in something called the SSL handshake. This involves authenticating each other and the secure exchange of keys. When the secure connection is established, you’ll see various signs of it on the site, such as the “HTTPS” prefix and padlock symbol in the address bar.
If you’re still skeptical about needing an SSL, well, I’ve got news for you…
Users and browsers expect it
Remember that padlock symbol and HTTPS prefix I just mentioned? Well, many savvy web users know to look for this when visiting a new site. If they don’t see it, they’ll likely turn away, particularly if you’re an e-commerce site. Because who’s going to buy from a site that doesn’t seem secure?
Compounding this is that most web browsers now flag sites without SSL as “not secure”. So, savvy users probably won’t even make it on to your site if you don’t have an SSL if they’ve been scared off by their web browser first. Your site could be completely secure in every other way, but if you don’t have an SSL, then you’re basically ensuring that nobody visits your website. Ever. What’s the good in that?
Conclusion
Hopefully you understand a little more SSL certificates and how they work, as well as why they’re so essential to have on your site. Beyond bringing an extra layer of security and keeping you and your users safe, it has become all but mandatory in the past few years.