What is the SSL Certificate?

So what is an SSL Certificate? SSL is short for Secure Sockets Layer. In simpler terms, it's the way small businesses communicate with customers so they can search, buy products or services and share information securely with you online.

Without getting too technical, adding an SSL certificate creates a secure connection for such activities.

An SSL certificate protects your site and your visitors from many digital bugs, worms and other nasty web critters.

Before quickly dismissing your site as "too small to be a target", keep in mind that most interceptions are done electronically without a human deciding who is attacked. Therefore, no site is too small to be hacked or attacked.

They don't care how big you are or what you do for a living. They have one goal, and that is to find vulnerabilities. Once discovered, their dirty work begins.

How the SSL certificate works

An SSL certificate works to create an encrypted connection between your visitor's browser and the server. It is a secure session that is established through a handshake-like process. It works to protect valuable information that is transmitted between the two parties.

And this brings us back to the initial question: does your website really need an SSL certificate? We will now explain the reasons why you need it.

Reasons to have an SSL certificate

An SSL certificate is absolutely essential for any business that collects sensitive customer information, such as credit card numbers, social security numbers or account login details. It is also important for any site that handles login credentials for remote access, such as VPNs or other employees requiring remote access to the company network.

The best way to think of what an SSL certificate does is that it is like a guard at the gate: now anyone trying to access your website will have to show a valid "ticket" before they can get started. By installing an SSL on your website, you can be sure that all data is transmitted securely and cannot be intercepted by third parties.

Online payments

Are you planning to accept all major credit cards as online payment on your website, is it an online shop? Then this is an important reason to install your certificate.

Think about it, would you really want to put your customers at risk of having their credit card information stolen while shopping on your website? I'm sure you wouldn't. It makes sense that you want to offer a secure payment site and give confidence and security to your customers.

Protecting passwords

One of the main reasons you may need to add an SSL certificate to your website is if any of your pages are password protected. This includes, for example, WordPress or other database-driven sites with an administrator login page.

Remember that everything you need to be secure online must operate under the safety net of an SSL certificate. The Internet is full of bots constantly lurking around looking for poorly protected password pages to give them access to your website.

Secure all web forms

Not all websites are used to make online sales. Some websites simply collect information. And these could be from potential customers. If you are collecting even the most basic information, such as name, address, phone number and email address, your customers probably don't want that information leaked.

Without an SSL certificate, some types of form mail can be intercepted. And your potential customers will certainly not be happy about having their data stolen.

Trust

And finally, we personally believe that more and more people are looking for the green padlock that appears in the web browser. It's a subtle little sign of great confidence.

For more information about SSL certificates please contact us. At Aulatina we provide you with the SSL certificate for your website. You can contact us via our contact form by clicking here. here.