Most of the companies don’t think on securing their websites for many reasons: It’s too much trouble (they think), can cost a lot of money!, who cares about security!
Companies protecting their website and consumers by making their website HTTPS instead of HTTP it’s an smart decision, and can save time and money
So …What Is HTTPS?
Techopedia definition of HTTPS: Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is a variant of the standard web transfer protocol (HTTP) that adds a layer of security on the data in transit through a secure socket layer (SSL) or transport layer security (TLS) protocol connection.
HTTPS enables encrypted communication and secure connection between a remote user and the primary web server.
In other words HTTPS is a way to encrypt your browser and web server information. This protects users of your website from “man-in – the-middle” attacks, where somebody steals the information sent to a website, such as information about credit cards or logins.
Securing your site with SSL
Getting an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) Certificate for your website and adding authentication and security to your website. This means that user personal data is secured when browsing your website and adding personal data to online forms.
In the past it was expected that all e-commerce websites which store or process sensitive personal and credit card data have an SSL certificate but over the past few years there has been a concerted push from Google in particular for the entire web to be secured with SSL.
What is an SSL Certificate?
SSL Certificates are small data files that digitally bind a cryptographic key to an organization’s details. When installed on a web server, it activates the padlock and the https protocol and allows secure connections from a web server to a browser. Typically, SSL is used to secure credit card transactions, data transfer and logins, and more recently is becoming the norm when securing browsing of social media sites.
SSL Certificates bind together:
- A domain name, server name or hostname.
- An organizational identity (i.e. company name) and location.
An organization needs to install the SSL Certificate onto its web server to initiate a secure session with browsers. Once a secure connection is established, all web traffic between the web server and the web browser will be secure.
When a certificate is successfully installed on your server, the application protocol (also known as HTTP) will change to HTTPs, where the ‘S’ stands for ‘secure’. Depending on the type of certificate you purchase and what browser you are surfing the internet on, a browser will show a padlock or green bar in the browser when you visit a website that has an SSL Certificate installed.
What are the benefits of using an SSL certificate on your website?
- SSL encrypts the data sent via your website
This is the main reason why you should use SSL. If your website accepts any kind of user input, whether it is a simple contact form or a full-blown e-commerce shop, then an SSL certificate ensures that the data entered can not be intercepted by hackers or other malicious malicious doers. SSL encrypts any data that a website transmits, making it unreadable
- Increase visitor confidence
A secure connection gives tranquility to your customers that they can trust your website and that their information is safe.
- Secure online payments
PCI compliance requires an SSL certificate to be in place for any website processing payments. If a website processes payments and has no SSL then PCI compliance will be denied. This can be bypassed by many e-commerce sites as they process user payments using external payment gateways such as PayPal, WorldPay and Sage Pay where the user is taken to secure website external payment gateways to complete payment.
- Google’s improved rank
Google has stated that websites using SSL will benefit from an enhanced ranking of searches.
If you want to learn more about Google’s SEO check this link “Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Starter Guide“
Conclusion
Getting SSL certificates and switching to HTTPS encryption, website owners will not only protect themselves and their users / customers against data breaches, they will join a growing majority of smart web users who make this level of encryption and security the norm when securing their websites