Why SSL certificates are important
Apart from the obvious answer that protecting the personal data of your users and customers
should be a top priority, the fact of the matter is: Internet users are becoming more security conscious (as
they well should be). An SSL certificate is a visual indicator that your website is one Internet users can
trust and that they need not worry about their personal information being hijacked for malicious purposes if
they use it. This is especially important if your site features facilities for:
If you want to earn and maintain the confidence of your site’s users and/or customers, an SSL certificate is
an essential assurance that the data they give you is protected.
Furthermore, having an SSL certificate on your site will also positively impact your Google ranking and
accessibility on major web browsers. Since calling for “https Everywhere” on the web in 2014, Google’s
search engine algorithm gives higher rankings to sites that are secured with SSL. In addition, if your site
doesn’t have an SSL certificate, major browsers, including Google Chrome, warn users that the site is
insecure and will not let them access it.
The green padlock in the address bar and other ways users identify a secure website
A website with SSL enabled can be recognized in multiple ways in the address bar. First off, it will have the
“https” protocol prefix at the beginning of the web address. There will also be a padlock symbol present
which can be clicked on to reveal certain information about the site and the individual or organization
running it.
Some websites will also have a green section in the address bar, or turn the address bar green entirely
(depending on your browser), and will also display a green padlock and the name of the organization running
the website. As an example, here is how Namecheap’s web address looks on Google Chrome:
and Mozilla Firefox:
Many certificate authorities (entities that grant SSL certificates) will also give enterprises a site seal to
display somewhere on their website. Namecheap’s site seal is located in the footer of each page and looks
like this:
This site seal indicates that all transactions made on Namecheap.com are securely encrypted.
A site seal is a good way of visually informing your website users and customers that your site can be
trusted, especially if they’re not savvy enough to look for the “https” and padlock symbol in the address
bar.
By now we’ve probably convinced you of the importance of getting an SSL certificate for your website. (If you
need more convincing, read our articles on what SSL is and why
your site needs SSL.) But with so many types to choose from, how do you know which is the correct
one for you?
Read on to learn more about the different kinds of SSL certificates.