What is an SSL certificate?
They are small data files that help to digitally bind a cryptographic key to the details of your business enterprise. After installing it in your web server, the padlock is activated, and the https protocol allows us to have a secure connection between the server of your website and the browser.
Generally, we find SSL being used in the secure transactions of your credit card, logging in to particular sites, and transfer of data. With every passing day, it gradually is becoming a norm when you secure social media sites. The SSL certificate helps us to bind various parts of your website together from server name or hostname to domain name. Nowadays, most browsers no longer shoe green padlock and address bar to indicate Extended Validation.
Suppose a business organization wants to initiate a secure session between the browsers, they need to install the SSL certificate on their web server. After setting up the SSL on their web server, a secure connection can establish, and all the traffic between the web browser and web server will be completely secure. You will also notice on your sever the application protocol abbreviated as HTTP will change to HTTPS where s stands for secure as the SSL certificate is successfully activated.
How Does an SSL Certificate Work?
SSL certificates are based on something called public-key cryptography, which you will come across if you’ve heard of bitcoin or blockchain technology. This cryptography uses the power of two keys, which are long strings of numbers generated randomly. One of the keys is called the public key, which is known to your server and can be availed by the public domain and is used to encrypt any message. In contrast, another key is called the private key, which is only known to the sender, which is used to decrypt the message.
Let us discuss an example to understand how this works. There is Man A, who sends a message to Man B by decrypting with the public key of Man B, but the only way Man B can view the message is by decrypting by his private key, so no one except him can decrypt the message. If a hacker tries to intercept the code before it reaches Man B, he will get a cryptographic code which they won’t be able to crack at any cost. Now let us think Man A is the server, and Man B is the website that’s how both of them interact with the help of an SSL certificate.
Five reasons you should install SSL certificate:
- Protection of Data
One of the most critical functions of an SSL certificate is to provide secure communication between the server and the client. After you install an SSL certificate, all the information on your website is encrypted.
In basic terms, your data stays encrypted and can only be extracted by the intended user who has set the password, and no one without the key can unlock it. It helps in dealing with sensitive data like ID’s, details of your credit cards, and password from the deadly hackers and scammers. Since your data gets transformed into a different format by SSL, no one without their private key can decrypt your data.
- It affirms your identity.
Another task that an SSL certificate does very well is giving authentication to a website. Since one of the essential aspects of web security is the verification of Identity, SSL does it well. There is no kidding about the fact that the internet can be deceptive in recent times, as the girl you meet online might turn up to a random guy who wants to waste your time having fun. However, some cases don’t turn out funny, as people have lost lakhs of Rupees on fake websites. This is the part that the SSL certificate does best.
When you install an SSL certificate on your website, you have to go through a validation process set by a third party authority called CA (Certificate Authority). Based on your certificate, the certificate authority verifies the identity of your business enterprise. After they have proved your identity, your website gets trust indicators to confirm your website’s withholding integrity and when customer’s see if they know who they are up against.
You can compare it to how your accounts on Twitter get verified. The main difference is here you have to prove your identity for your business enterprise instead of your Twitter handle. It helps to get rid of fake websites who try to pretend themselves as someone else try to fool others, which in technical terms is called Phishing. Thus SSL helps to get rid of users to try put up fraudulent acts and keeps your website safe.
- Better Search Engine Ranking
Recently Google has made adjustments in their ranking system algorithm for various websites and puts those websites which have HTTPS enabled at higher rank over other websites and help inbound marketing strategy. You can find about this in many studies by various SEO experts as HTTPs enable, and higher ranking in search engines works hand in hand.
- It helps to satisfy PCI/DSS requirements.
If you are someone who does online transactions regularly for your business or personal purpose, you should have a brief knowledge of PCI/DSS requirements.
If your website needs to accept online monetary transactions, your website must be PCI compliant. If your website has an SSL certificate, then one of the twelve requirements for the payment card industry(PCI) is already done.
- Helps to build customer trust
After discussing the benefits of SSL, like data encryption and website identification, you can also use SSL to develop CRM Strategy. They also help in developing trust between the customer and the website. Users can easily understand by the identity signs that their data will stay secure. If you also have your OV installed, then your customers will be able to see the details of your organization, and once they find you legitimate, they’ll trust your website and revisit it again and again.
FAQs about the need to install SSL certificate:
- How to get a free SSL certificate?
You have to log in to your hosting account through the cPanel dashboard, and then you have to scroll down to the last option where it reads the ‘Security’ section, and you enable the SSL certificate from the cPanel. If you are someone who is using Bluehost, then you can easily find the SSL option by visiting My Sites then go to Manage Site page z. Now you can easily switch to the security tab and get yourself a free SSL certificate for your website.
- Will I lose speed using an SSL certificate?
The hosting provider of your website has to make all the required adjustments to make sure your SSL certificate doesn’t slow down your website. You can maintain the speed of your website by using Varnish ache with the SSL certificate hand in hand.
- Why is having an SSL certificate compulsory?
According to the EU’s Protection Directive, everyone has the right to protect personal data, and all the business organizations are required to store, send and receive data of their customers in the most secure way so that no data is lost.
The websites which use monetary transactions regularly need to secure their websites according to European law. You also get many advantages if you have an SSL certificate. SSL certificate helps you to secure all the information for your website and the customers. The conversion rate of your website also increases drastically if you install an SSL certificate on your website.
Author’s Bio
Myself Gaurav Saraswat, and I serve as a SEO executive at leading WordPress Development Company Techno Softwares, In which we focus on CRM Strategy. Also, I’m a content writer.
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