Since the beginning of the year, Studio 2108 has been urging clients to include an SSL on their website. Today, we will dive into what exactly and SSL is and how it can help protect your site long-term.
SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer and is the standard security technology on modern-day websites. It guarantees that any data passed between the user and the server remains private; this is done through an encryption process. Any and all information is converted to a code of numbers and letters to prevent unauthorized access, whereas anything in a plain-text format could easily be intercepted or compromised, eavesdropping of sorts. This means your clients can trust your website with their personal information (credit card numbers, social security numbers, home addresses, etc.)
While we recommend an SSL for all websites, websites with a shopping cart feature absolutely need an SSL. Anytime personal information, as well as credit card data, is transferred via the website, it is encrypted to ensure the personal information cannot be hacked, passwords stay secure, and credit cards remain protected.
Additionally, browsers display whether or not your site has an SSL. You will see a little green padlock activated and the word “Secure” somewhere in the top or bottom of your site, giving your users or customers peace of mind. The standard beginning of a URL is “http” but once the SSL is installed, we set up and force the URLs to redirect to “https” (‘s’ for secure)!
Last, but not least, SSLs allow your site to rank higher in Google. Overall, Google is pushing for sites to be more secure in handling consumers’ personal and private information. Google has started moving websites without SSLs to the bottom of the search results. Google realized just how important the safety and security of web users was and is rewarding sites for making the jump.
If your website does not have an SSL, contact us today! We can change your “http” to “https.” Not only will it help your site rank higher in Google, it will reassure your customers that their privacy is important to you.