![\"\"](\"http:\/\/chipwebdesign.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Secure.png\")
<\/p>\nSince Google started
\nto say that secure sites would be given a ranking boost, although only a
\nminor boost this has made lots of web hosting companies start to push
\nthe benefits of SSL beyond just E-commerce websites. We have had some
\nclients come to us asking if an SSL certificate is necessary so we
\nthought we would put together an article explaining the benefits.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
SSL stands for \u201csecure sockets layer\u201d and is a form of security for
\nwebsites that handle sensitive information such as customer names, phone
\nnumbers, addresses and credit card numbers. It creates a secure
\nconnection between a customer\u2019s web browser and the server of the
\ncompany they\u2019re interacting with. SSL is essential for any site that
\nsells goods or services as it ensures that all information handled stays
\nprivate and secure.<\/p>\n
To check if a website has an SSL certificate you can view the full
\nurl which will have https rather than http. Browsers make it a little
\neasier by displaying \u2018Secure\u2019 in the address bar:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The main purpose of an SSL Certificate is to keep sensitive
\ninformation encrypted while it is passed from one computer to another to
\nreach its destination. This prevents sensitive information such as
\npasswords and financial details being seen during its journey preventing
\nhackers and thieves using it for their advantage. If your website
\naccepts customer payments it is necessary to have an SSL Certificate to
\nmeet the Payment Card Industry compliance data encryption standards.<\/p>\n
In addition to encryption an SSL Certificate also provides
\nauthentication which ensures that data sent from your website reaches
\nthe intended destination and not an external party trying to steal the
\ninformation.<\/p>\n
SSL also guards against phishing emails which lead unsuspecting
\ncustomers to a convincing replica of an otherwise reputable website.
\nThese emails attempt to gather financial information for illegal gain.
\nPeople who create these fake websites find it very difficult to obtain
\nan authentic SSL Certificate. When a customer can see that the site is
\nnot secure it shows a clear sign that the website is not genuine.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Customers are becoming increasingly aware of the dangers online and
\nincreasingly knowledgeable about the status of websites. Having a safe
\nand secure website gives your customers an added level of assurance when
\nthey visit your site. This helps to build the trust between you and
\nyour customers by showing that you are concerned for their security
\nwhilst using your website.<\/p>\n
As SSL becomes more important not just for eCommerce websites, but
\nalso a ranking factor it is an excellent way to get ahead of your
\ncompetitors and future proof your website.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Until recently one of the only disadvantages of an SSL Certificate was cost. This has really improved recently, our Professional Managed Hosting<\/a> package now includes a free SSL Certificate for no extra cost.<\/p>\n If you would like to purchase an SSL certificate for your website visit our Web Hosting<\/a> page to see our great prices.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Since Google started to say that secure sites would be given a ranking boost, although only a minor boost this has made lots of web hosting companies start to push… View Article<\/a>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-75","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-web-design"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chipwebdesign.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chipwebdesign.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chipwebdesign.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chipwebdesign.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chipwebdesign.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=75"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/chipwebdesign.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":82,"href":"https:\/\/chipwebdesign.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75\/revisions\/82"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chipwebdesign.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chipwebdesign.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chipwebdesign.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}