Suppose you want to purchase a computer from eBay. The first step is logging on to the eBay page. But do you know there are hundreds of fake pages masquerading as the official eBay website? With the rise in cyber-crime, counterfeiting has increased. Financial losses due to cyber-crime will cost $6 trillion annually from 2021. 43% of all such attacks target small, vulnerable businesses.
In this backdrop, a website security certificate is imperative. Basically, the certificate validates the identity of the website. In the above example, the certificate ensures whether you’re on the actual eBay website.
What is the certificate?
To put it simply, a website security certificate is a symbol of trust. It is also known as an SSL certificate. An industry-specific CA (certifying authority) generates the certificate when the website meets a set of criteria. It secures the website against possible cyber-attacks and ensures end-to-end data encryption.
A lack of the proper certificate results in the display of a message like this:
![FIX] There Is A Problem With This Website's Security Certificate](png/ssl-error.png)
On the other hand, the presence of a proper website security certificate results in the display of words like ‘HTTPS,’ ‘Secure’ and is accompanied by the presence of the green padlock signature symbol.
What Are HTTPS and SSL?
A few decades ago, most websites used HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol). The use of the internet has increased, and technology has advanced over the years, and businesses now need the more secure transmission of information.
Customers share personal information, bank details, transaction details, security PIN over the internet while making payments or other transactions. HTTP doesn’t provide end-to-end encryption, and malicious criminals target it to steal sensitive information.
The ‘S’ in HTTPS stands for ‘Secure’ and provides end-to-end data encryption between your browser and the server you’re trying to connect to. It protects all sensitive information being transmitted, and criminals cannot breach the encryption or steal data. It blocks data theft.
So how do you go to HTTPS from HTTP? With the help of SSL certificates.
When you install an SSL certificate on your server, it activates the green padlock, the HTTPS protocol, and secures all connections between a server and a browser.
There are a lot of SSL certificates in the market.
You must choose and select the proper and relevant SSL certificate for your business based on your needs and requirements.
How is it useful for business?
A website security certificate helps customers make the right choice and select the correct, validated website. You can use the certificate to build a reputation for your business and abide by it.
Here’s how it’s useful:
- Generate faith
Customers won’t be willing to make purchases from a website that they aren’t sure is validated. The onus is on you to get customers to trust you.
Customers cannot trust websites that display this message:
On the other hand, once validated, your website will display the following, reiterating trust:
When customers see this image, they will be more trusting with your business and willingly conduct business.
- Sustainability
Unless your customers trust you, you won’t get business coming your way. Generating business is central to the sustainability of your business.
Without a website security certificate, new customers won’t be attracted to you, and you may lose existing clients as well. Long-term business relationships may fall apart without the right kind of validity. Sustainability can take a hit and may lead you to shut shop.
- SEO rankings
In a world with millions of websites, everybody’s jostling for space on the screen. When you browse a particular subject on the internet, the websites with the best SEO optimization are shown on the first page.
75% of people never move past the first page of a Google search, so you can’t compromise your SEO rankings, no matter what. Having a website security certificate is the first step towards achieving that. The tech giant Google factors in the use of SSL certificates by websites when performing SEO.
With the certificate in place, you’ll improve visibility on the internet. It will boost business and form long-term client relationships and ensure sustainability.
- Conversion rates
High visibility won’t guarantee the generation of more and more business. But at least with greater visibility, you’ll have a probability of getting more business. You can improve your conversion rates with customers with the right strategy, and that starts with getting a website security certificate.
With more visibility, you will be visible more than your peers in the customer’s minds, which is conducive to business.
- Emailing
When you send emails to clients from unsecured websites, specific images accompany them, like this:
Many clients won’t open emails from unsecured sources. This can hurt your growth prospective. Getting a website security certificate eliminates this and restores client faith. The feature is available in Gmail as of now but will likely extend to other providers too.
Wrapping-Up
With the human population in excess of 7.5 billion, there is intense competition everywhere. With businesses moving online, it’s important for businesses to capture the right markets and clients digitally. To develop a solid background and hit the ground running, a website security certificate is a must-have now.
The incidence of cyber-crime is on the rise. There is one attack every 39 seconds, and 75 records are stolen every second.
In this scenario, clients won’t be willing to share their financial details and make purchases without security. Unsecure websites will bear the brunt of heavy losses.
Therefore, to have a viable, sustainable business today, website security certificates are a must.
