Today, I want to quickly discuss what SSL certificates are and why you should have one. SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer and is the protocol that secures web traffic over the internet. This protocol protects others from snooping in on the information you may enter in on a website. Having an SSL certificate is a must for any website that is handling financial information, user/password authentication, and other sensitive data.

How to Tell If a Website is Using an SSL Certificate

The easiest way to know if a website is using SSL is simply by what has been entered into the web browser. If you typed in “http://website.com,” the website is not using an SSL certificate. If you typed in “https://website.com,” the website is using an SSL certificate. Also, most modern web browsers are now displaying a message if saying if the website is secure or not. Some browsers may use a lock beside the name. You’ve probably seen the secure indicator on your banking website.

Secure Website

Non Secure Website

Does My Website Need an SSL Certificate

The old answer was yes if you need to allow users to login, you are taking payments, or you are handling sensitive data. If you didn’t meet the above criteria, the answer was an easy no. As usual, things change with the times and our favorite search giant, Google announced that having an SSL certificate would boost a site’s ranking in search results. With that said, it is a no brainer for every website to use an SSL certificate.

An SSL certificate will not only boost your rankings and secure your website, but also gain trust from your visitors. Even if you have the most basic website, your visitors can rest assured that all of their traffic is be encrypted.

How to Get an SSL Certificate

For the non-technical, the easiest way to obtain an SSL certificate is to contact your web hosting company. Even up until a few years back, it used to be somewhat expensive to obtain an SSL certificate; however, hosting companies like A2 Hosting (we use them) have teamed up with Let’s Encrypt to offer free SSL certificates to every website. Please believe The Urban Geeks take advantage of this offering. Every new client will have an SSL certificate installed on their website at no additional charge from day 1 with The Urban Geeks. We take security serious and so should you. Be sure to leave any feedback or ask us any questions if you need to secure your website.