Why your website needs an SSL certificate

Learn what an SSL certificate is and why it’s so important for a website to have one

What is an SSL certificate?

A Secure Sockets Layer certificate, or SSL certificate, enables a kind of encryption called SSL/TLS encryption for a website and contains verifying information, such as the domain the certificate is for and who owns the certificate.

Sites with an SSL certificate will have HTTPS enabled. 

Web browsers, such as Google Chrome, put a padlock icon by the URL in the browser’s address box to identify a site with an SSL certificate. For sites with some, but not all content secured, and sites without an SSL certificate, the icon depends on the browser.

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SSL certificates assure customers that they’re dealing with a real website, and they help your site’s SEO.

Site trustworthiness

An SSL certificate is great for telling viewers and potential customers that your site is safe to use and do business with. This is done in two ways:

1. The certificate itself shows someone they’re on the authentic website for a company or service.
2. The encryption enabled by the certificate ensures that information sent to the site is secure and can’t be tracked by malicious actors. 

Having an SSL certificate is particularly important for websites that engage in e-commerce. With an SSL certificate, customers will know that any transaction they do on your site will be secure from start to end. This increases customer trust, which leads to more sales.

Improving your SEO

Getting an SSL certificate also improves your website’s SEO. Google ranks websites with SSL certificates higher than sites without one. If your site doesn’t have an SSL certificate, the SEO boost from having one can improve readership.

Getting an SSL certificate

You can purchase an SSL certificate for your website from several trusted sources. Your website’s hosting service may also offer a certificate, either for free or as a paid add-on.

You can also obtain a free SSL certificate from Let’s Encrypt. However, SSL certificates obtained from Let’s Encrypt do not contain organization validation information, so if you want proof that your company owns a site, consider getting a paid SSL certificate.

If you need an SSL certificate, Axia Public Relations is happy to help! Contact us and we’ll guide you on the path to getting an SSL certificate for your site.

Clients love Jacob’s speed. Jacob is an inbound marketing-certified webmaster. He earned an integrated communications degree from Florida State College at Jacksonville. Jacob joined Axia PR as an intern in August 2015 and earned his way into a critical role at our PR agency.