SSL, which stands for Secure Socket Layer, is a protocol used to secure a connection between a client and the server they are using to send information. SSL certificates are tiny data files used to digitally bind the details within an organization. It is an installation done on a web server, activating a padlock and allowing secure connections from a web server to a browser. SSL works by using a cryptographic system that uses two keys to encrypt data. Basically, SSL is used to secure credit card transactions, data transfer and logins, and just recently, it has become a norm to also secure social media sites.

SSL certificates are used to bind together a domain name server name or hostname as well as an organizational identity, like a company name, and location. In order to initiate a secure session with browsers on your web server, you need to install the SSL certificate. Once the secure connection is established, all the web traffic between the server and the browser will be deemed secure. So what does a website with as SSL certificate installed look like? Well, when a certificate is installed successfully, the application protocol, which is also known as HTTP, will change to HTTPS, where the S stands for ‘secure.’ When you visit a website with an SSL, depending on the browser you will either notice a padlock or a green bar in the browser, depending on the type of SSL certificate it is or the type of browser you are using.

Benefits of having SSL Certificate

SSL is the backbone of your secure Internet and it protects your sensitive information as it travels across the world's computer networks. SSL is essential for protecting your website, even if it doesn't handle sensitive information like credit cards. It provides privacy, critical security and data integrity for both your websites and your users' personal information. When SSL certificate is used, the information that is sent across becomes encrypted that only the sender and recipient are able to access it. Thus protecting is from hackers and other internet fraudsters. Some of the main advantages of SSL certificate include:

Encryption

The main purpose of an SSL certificate is to protect sensitive information on the internet. This, it does by encrypting information like passwords, account details or cardholders’ information for e-commerce websites. The internet is a chain of computers that communicate with each other, and without an SSL, all the computers in a given network can access all the information being passed through that network. However, with an SSL, all the information, sensitive or not, will be encrypted and can only be viewed by the sender and intended receiver of the information sent. Encryption prevents hackers and identity thieves from accessing your information.

Boost Google Ranking and your Brand Value

Google recently updated its algorithm and added an SSL secured website as one of its ranking factors. To get the ranking advantage with Google, ensure that your website is secured with SSL certificate and that your URL starts with a secure protocol (https). Having SSL certificate also improves the way potential clients perceive you. It is one of the trust elements that online users look out for. Online business is about trust; once a user trusts you, they will be able to transact with you. When online users see the secure protocol on your website’s URL, they will be less worried about the security of the information they will share with you and will effectively engage with you.

Keep hackers at bay

There are so many fraudulent activities that go on over the internet every day and sometimes it becomes difficult to identify an authentic website. There are a lot of phishing sites that are almost a perfect replica of the original one. These sites have countless techniques of luring you into providing them with all your sensitive information. SSL certificate can easily identify what naked human eye cannot, thus ensuring that the fake websites are kept out of bay. It is impossible for fake sites to acquire SSL certificates and having one on your site protects your website from phishing attacks and other kinds of fraud.

Builds Trust

Online users are becoming more aware of their security as the days go since they share a lot of sensitive information such as bank passwords and other personal details, in a cloud platform. In order to secure such data and convince your users of the safety of their information, having SSL certificate will ensure data protection. SSL certificate increases the trust that online users have for your website and they are able to verify your authentication. SSL confirms that your business is legit and that it is authenticated to perform secure online transactions.

The primary reason for installing SSL is to keep safe all the sensitive information sent across the internet. It is encrypted in a manner that only the intended recipient can understand it. Because the information you send on the internet is passed from one computer to the other, before it gets to the destination server, it is important to encrypt the information, because any computer between the sender and the recipient can be able to see private information like credit card numbers, usernames and passwords, etc.