UPDATED: 01/21/2024
We occasionally research companies around the area where we are based live and have recently noticed that a lot of companies are still not utilizing SSL certificates on their company websites and decided to write a blog post that explains on how not possessing an SSL certificate on your website can hurt your business. In this article, we will address the importance of SSL certificates in your business and how the lack of an SSL certificate can hurt your business and prevent users from being able to view your website.
First of all, SSL is the backbone of a secure internet as it protects private/sensitive information with encryption as it travels across computer networks. This ensures that only the intended recipient and sender can understand it. This is extremely important because the information you send on the internet is passed from server to server in order to reach its destination. Any computer or server between your company’s website server and the end-user can see information such as credit card numbers, usernames, passwords, and other sensitive information if your website is not encrypted with an SSL certificate. Companies that implement SSL certificates ensure that such information becomes unreadable to everyone except your server and your potential customers, in turn protecting the data from hackers and identity thieves and even MITM attacks.
You can review the image HERE for additional information on what SSL certificates are.
Now how can you tell if a website currently uses SSL? A padlock icon appears in the address bar of the browser and the URL begins with https rather than http. (see image below)
SSL is much more than a tool that provides security for transactions or information. When potential customers see the SSL icon they are reassured that their information is safe and secure which in turn helps build customer loyalty and confidence in your brand/business. This is one of the main reasons why all of our Web Hosting plans come with a FREE SSL certificate. Not convinced? Google has recently announced that websites without an SSL certificate would be demoted in rankings lower than those with one. This means that any website currently not utilizing an SSL certificate and the HTTPS protocol will appear below those that do. Not possessing an SSL certificate can therefore hurt your business because all your competitors that are currently utilizing an SSL certificate will rank higher than your Non-SSL business website. In a nutshell, not possessing an SSL certificate while relying on a certain percentage of your customers coming from search engines will result in your website suffering.
Cost wise a certificate will usually cost your company around $25 per year and allow your company to rank above non-SSL secure websites whether you need a secure website or not. With our Managed Hosting plans you will not pay any additional fees for an SSL certificate as we install and maintain all SSL certificates for our customers at no additional cost. Ever since January of 2017 Google’s Chrome browser now highlights non-secure websites in the address bar by classifying them as ‘Not Secure’ (see image below) which may shock and confuse your clients.
Nowadays, with the ease of configuring and utilizing Let’s Encrypt, your business can utilize SSL certficates at zero cost. We recommend taking advantage of this free solution to the SSL encryption problem.
How would you feel if you lost a potential customer due to something as trivial not utilizing an SSL certificate on your website? Contact Us today and give us a chance to assist your business in implementing cutting-edge technology solutions that keep your business ahead of the competition and your customers satisfied.