SSL-encrypted websites (HTTPS) affirm the security of the site. In 2014, Google declared HTTPS as a ranking signal to encourage site owners for security encryptions.
However, non-HTTPS sites got a big bang in 2017 when Google changed its policy, showing a scary warning message followed by a click on the site link. Google penalises sites for not using SSL by knocking down the search engine rankings.
Before exploring the importance of an SSL certificate for a website, let’s see what exactly it is.
What is SSL Certificate?
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is a digital certificate securing users’ sensitive data accessed on the website during a transaction. It protects users against hackers with SSL or TSL encryption. If your website is secured with an SSL certificate, a padlock will be shown on the URL bar that helps in building trust and authenticating the website’s identity.
Importance of SSL Certificate
Read on to understand why a website should invest in an SSL Certificate.
Protects User’s Information-
The prime reason to obtain an SSL certificate is to protect website data provided by the users to sign up, log in, place orders and so on. This information is transmitted through a series of computers to reach the endpoint. SSL protocol ensures proper data encryption with public key cryptography so that it can be decrypted only by the end users, and no other cybercriminal can get access to such info.
Increase SEO ranking-
To provide users with a safe and secure experience on the website, Google trails the rank of sites with HTTP protocol. According to Semrush ranking factor study, HTTPS is the 10th most important ranking factor. Thus from the ranking perspective also, obtaining an SSL certificate is crucial.
Build customer’s trust and brand reputation-
Today people are more clued-up on cybercrimes and conscious of securing their info. A survey by Hubspot on consumer study revealed that 82% of users leave non-HTTPS websites immediately. Since there is a flood of competitor websites over the internet, visitors will prefer to land on a credible website, leading to a decrease in the CTR of non-HTTPS sites.
Proper Authentication-
Cybercriminals & hackers often replicate high-traffic websites to dodge visitors, stealing their personal information. A valid SSL certificate differentiates legitimate websites from other phishing sites. Besides protecting your potential leads from getting hacked, HTTPS protocol helps build reputation and trust in users.
Type of SSL Certificate
Before obtaining an SSL certificate, consider the size and scope of your website to choose the right one. Depending on the level of protection and validation, there are mainly three types of SSL certificates.
Single Domain SSL Certificate
Single domain SSL or standard SSL certificate works only for a single domain and its pages. It doesn’t protect any subdomain of the site. For example, if you have submitted Certificate Signing Request (CSR) for sample.com, the certificate will display a secure padlock on the address bar for the sample.com/about-us page. But it will show a “not secure” sign for blog.sample.com.
It is the most low-priced certificate typically obtained for blogs and small websites. All three validation levels are available with this certificate
- Domain Validated (DV)
- Organizationally Validated (OV)
- Extended Validation (EV)
Multidomain SSL Certificate
As the name suggests, a single SSL certificate provides industry-standard encryption for multiple domains. It is time-saving and cost-efficient, protecting hundreds of top-level domains and their subdomains. Also enables users to remove or add a domain at any time. It is beneficial for a large-scale organization that has multiple websites. For instance –
- example.com
- example1.com
- exampleworld.org
Wildcard SSL Certificate
When a multi-domain SSL certificate is ideal for multiple top-level domains, the wildcard domain protects a single top-level domain and its unlimited sub-domains. For instance, www.domain.com, mail.domain.com, ftp.domain.com.
Bigger organisations often use sub-domains for separate divisions to establish brand recognition. This type of certificate is perfect for them. While submitting the request, you need to add an (*) left to the main domain name to secure all the subdomains associated with the common name. For example, *www.domain.com will secure
- shop.www.domain.com
- video.www.domain.com
Again, *domain.com will secure
- www.domain.com
- shop.domain.com
- video.domain.com
What is SSL Validation?
The certificate authority (CA) ensures that your business is authorized before issuing an SSL Certificate for the website. This extent of verification differs based on the type of SSL certificate taken by the owner. Here are different validations –
Domain Validation
This domain is commonly used and easy to install in one step. Domain owners requesting a DV SSL certificate need to provide proof of ownership of such domain to the Certificate Authority via Email id with your domain name. Once the verification is done, the authority will provide an SSL certificate with industry-standard encryption. After installation, it will show the https:// in the address bar with a padlock. It is ideal for small organizations and individuals, enabling them to save time and cost.
Organization Validation
As the name says, for this validation, CA will check the organization before issuing an SSL Certificate. This is best known for medium-sized organizations, as it validates genuine companies. Hence, this method will take approx. 3 to 4 days to get the process done, but this will build more trust in clients. Some of the requirements to get an OV SSL certificate is –
- Authentication of Organization
- Local Presence
- Telephone Verification
- Domain Verification
- Verification Call
Extended Validation
In an EV SSL certificate, the verification process goes through extensive background checking, including the legal existence and physical location of the organisation. It is pricier than the other validations, helping you build the highest level of trust with industry-standard encryption. As the process is in detail, it requires time for 1-3 days. Following are the documents required for the EV cert.
- Lawyer’s letter
- Business Authentication (address, date of registration)
- Domain Authentication
- EV SSL CA Approver’s Authentication
- Telephonic Verification
How SSL Certificate Works?
SSL certificate works as a handshake protocol between the web client and web server to establish trust. Both parties need a secret key to encrypt and decrypt the conversation so that no third person can get the information about the conversation done between both parties. For each new conversation, a unique session key is generated. The Hacker can only see the endpoints but cannot modify or read the actual data, ensuring the protection of the user data and safe transactions.
Conclusion
SSL plays a vital role in building trust and confidence in our customers to have a safe business on our website. Choosing the right SSL certificate is equally important as the security of the client is our responsibility. Several authorities provide SSL certificates at cheap rates to protect websites, increasing the SEO ranking and getting more traffic which leads to business. There are some websites which provide free SSL certificates as well. So, get your own SSL Certificate and protect your website today and gain the customer’s trust. Contact us if your website is not SSL secured or need more information about it.
