SSL certificate stands for secure socket layer certificate. An SSL certificate is needed to make your website secure. SSL offers an encrypted connection between the server and the browser.
What is an SSL Certificate?
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is defined as a standard security technology or a protocol that helps establish an encrypted link between a server, such as a web server or a website, and a client such as a browser.
SSL certificate is an essential piece of software that provides a specific method of encryption. Also, it helps to create a foundation of trust by establishing a secure connection.
When you access a website that is secured by an SSL certificate, you can notice “https”// at the beginning of the URL, as shown below. Also, the browser displays a lock icon in the address bar, indicating that the connection is secure.
Consider an example. Let’s say your visitor visits a page on your website. It consists of a form where they need to provide their details and bank account information.
If your website is not secure, then there is a high possibility that the information entered may be intercepted by a cyber-criminal.
However, if your website is encrypted with SSL then the browser will form a connection with the webserver, look at the SSL certificate, and connect the browser and the server together.
SSL helps to ensure that no one else will be able to view or access the data that your visitor has entered.
An SSL certificate includes the following information:
- Name of the certificate holder
- Serial number and expiration Date
- A copy of the certificate holder’s public key
- The digital signature of the Certificate Authority (CA)
Why Do You Need SSL Certificates?
You’ve registered the domain name of your choice for your website. Also, the product line up is coming along well, and the website looks fantastic.
But, hold on for a minute!
Suddenly, you type the URL in the address bar on your favorite browser, and you notice a message “Not Secure”, which means that your website is not secured by an SSL certificate.
According to a security researcher Scott Helme, 51.8 percent of the most-visited websites worldwide now use a secured version of the HTTP protocol.
Around 60 percent of small businesses are obligated to shut down their business within six months after a cyberattack, as illustrated in a report by the Cybercrime Magazine.
You’ll need to prevent any cyber attack from stealing your customers’ private information, such as credit card numbers. Also, you need to ensure that your website is the safest place for your customers.
Not to worry! You’ll be relieved to hear that SSL is all it takes.
The primary reason why you need an SSL certificate is to encrypt sensitive information sent across the Internet to provide secure access to the intended recipient only.
Whether you own a blog or an ecommerce website, an SSL certificate is no longer a luxury.
Here are a few reasons on why SSL certificate is essential for your website:
- Protects customer’s data: It helps protect sensitive data, such as login information, address details, payment information that is transmitted from and to your website.
- Boosts SEO rankings: It improves search engine ranking as Google changed the algorithm to give a boost to HTTPS-enabled websites. According to a study conducted by Brian Dean, founder of Backlinko.com, there is a strong correlation between HTTPS and higher search engine rankings.
- Helps build trust: SSL builds trust and credibility among the visitors as your website displays a security lock in the browser’s address bar. Also, it helps indicate that the connection is secure and also, in turn, helps you to show to the visitors that you take the visitors’ data seriously.
- Enhances the website’s speed: SSL certificate increases the speed of your website as it will get preference in the search engine results. HTTPS helps to improve the loading speed of the web pages.
- Provides better user experience: It helps provide better user experience to the users as they are very well aware of a secured website. For example, let’s say a customer is visiting your website that consists of a few products that they can buy. If the website is using an SSL certificate, then your customer can safely provide the credit card details without any worry.
Different Types of SSL Certificates
There are different types of SSL certificates available depending upon your specific requirements. Before you even make a choice, you need to ask yourselves several questions, such as
- Is it for external or internal use?
- Who is it meant for?
- What kinds of operating systems or server hardware are involved?
- What are the security policy requirements?
You can ensure website security by choosing between different types of SSL certificates that can be either based on different validation levels or the number of domains they can protect.
The different types of SSL certificates are as follows:
- Domain Validation (DV): This is the most basic form of a certificate that is only recommended to be used where security is not a concern, such as protected internal systems. You can easily obtain this type of certificate within a few minutes by simply verifying that you own a domain for which you are purchasing the certificate.
- Organization Validation (OV): Several certificate authorities (CAs), such as Network Solutions® offer this type of SSL certificate. This certificate assures the validity of a website by confirming that the applicant is a valid business. In addition, this certificate is meant for websites that collects sensitive information from their users. This certificate is a step ahead over the DV certificate as it not only provides secure server-browser communication but also provides an organization or business validation.
- Extended Validation (EV): This type of certificate is the most trusted certificate, and is widely used by leading organizations. It offers the greatest level of safety and security that boosts customer’s confidence.
- Wildcard: This type of SSL certificate is specifically designed to secure a domain name along with an unlimited number of subdomains within a single Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN). This certificate is suitable for those website owners who own a primary domain along with multiple subsets and sub-domains. For example, let’s say you have a domain called www.mywebsite.com; this certificate can also secure food.mywebsite.com and blog.mywebsite.com.
- Multi-domain: This type of certificate is also called Subject Alternative Name (SAN) or Unified Communication Certificate (UCC). This certificate allows you to secure multiple domains and subdomains via a single certificate. It is specifically used for large organizations who own multiple websites along with several sub-domains.
How To Apply For An SSL Certificate?
To install SSL on your website, you need to contact a relevant Certificate Authority (CAs). The primary role of CAs is to verify the identity of any entity that is requesting a certificate. You need to fill in the Certificate Signing Request (CSR) where you need to provide all the information, such as domain name and server name.
You may issue the SSL certificate either from your website hosting provider or a domain name registrar.
The cost of an SSL certificate depends on the type of certificate you want to purchase. For example, if you want to purchase a Domain Validation certificate then it would cost you between $3 – $5 per year. Similarly, if you want to purchase a multi-domain SSL certificate, then the average price will be $20-$35 per year.
However, there is another inexpensive option where you can get a free-of-charge SSL certificate from WordPress, Joomla, or any other website builder.
Once the SSL certificate is installed, you need to contact your hosting provider to automatically redirect all your HTTP pages to the HTTPS version.
Next, you need to review all the assets on the website, such as images, scripts, fonts, and so on. Then, you ensure that they are loaded with secure URLs.
Finally, Google encourages you to add the SSL version of your website as a property within the Google Webmaster Tools.
Final Thoughts
Hence, an SSL certificate is an essential piece of the puzzle when it comes to Internet security for your website.
If you own a website that is not secure, then you better need to get an HTTPS version as you need to show respect and care for your visitors by acting responsibly.
Though you cannot guarantee anything over the Internet, prevention is better than cure. SSL will surely help you to add an extra layer of security for your website visitors and gain their trust.
