The importance of an SSL

Have you ever noticed the URL (your domain name) in the browser bar? Does it start with an HTTP or HTTPS? An SSL certificate secures HTTPS sites, but it does not secure HTTP sites. Chances are, you have heard the term “SSL,” but what exactly is it, and why do you need it?

Whenever we develop a new website here at Grateful Web Services, we make sure that our clients have an SSL certificate. We always include this in the hosting discussion at the beginning of every project, and it’s part of our basic hosting plan. The acronym SSL stands for Secure Socket Layer. In layman’s terms, this is your website security. This security is no longer something that is really optional. If your website does not have an SSL certificate, your users will see a message that says your site is unsafe. Yikes! Of course, this is not anything you want on your website. Also, Google will no longer index your website. This change greatly reduces your website’s visibility in searches.  So to put it plainly, if you don’t have an SSL certificate, your website may still function as always, but it will be vulnerable to hackers, and Google will warn visitors that your website is not secure. Ultimately, your website traffic will greatly suffer. Google gives priority to websites that have an SSL certificate.

How it works

The function of the SSL is to allow secure connections from a web server to a browser. SSL is the standard in online security. Websites use it to encrypt data sent over the Internet between your computer and the server. This automatically prevents many types of attacks. If a hacker intercepts encrypted data, the hacker can’t read it or use it without the private decryption key.

In the early web days, SSL was used only to secure credit card transactions, data transfer, and logins, but more recently, it has become the norm due to an increase in website threats and is now required by Google. 

Once your SSL is installed, you will see your website address change from HTTP in front of your web address to HTTPS. The “S” stands for Security, and if you are remotely curious, the rest stands  for Hypertext Transfer Protocol

We don’t want to bore our readers, but if you want to know more, you can check the Wikipedia definition https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport_Layer_Security

HTTP is the foundation of any data exchange on the Web.
To read more, go to Wikipedia for their definition https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTPS

In short, the purpose is to

• Keep data safe
• Don’t scare your users away
• Increase your Google Rankings
• Build customer trust
• Improve conversion rates

We can help!

If you sign up for our hosting package, a shared SSL is included. All domains running on the same server can use a shared SSL certificate.. For an additional fee, there is a “dedicated” SSL you can choose as an add-on.

Now you are wondering why I need a dedicated SSL over the one included in the hosting plan? A dedicated SSL certificate is purchased for a specific domain name and will only work with that one domain name. A dedicated SSL is preferred for protecting credit card information for eCommerce websites. In the end, you have to weigh the cost against other considerations.  We will recommend it if we think it is necessary for your project.