Technology is constantly changing and there has been one recent change that we feel is important for all website owners to know about.
The need for website security is growing every day. Over the past few years, you may have noticed a little padlock appear in the corner of a browser when visiting certain websites.
This is the browser’s way of letting the viewer know that this website is secure and that they should feel comfortable transmitting the information through the website (whether it is via a contact form, online registration forms or an online store).
How do I get this Padlock on my site?
The little padlock appears next to a domain name when an SSL certificate has been installed on the website. It is a special form of encryption that protects the communication from your website server (the computer on which your website is stored or ‘hosted’) and the computer that information is being sent to.
In short, what it does is protect any information passed between your website and over the internet to another computer from being accessed by hackers or scammers.
As you can image, this is especially important for any business with an online store or who takes payment details through their website. This is what protects your customer’s details from being stolen. However, it is also important for any business who has a contact form, membership form, newsletter signup or client login on their website.
Benefits outside of security:
Even if you do not collect information from visitors through your website, having an SSL certificate installed can be beneficial for other reasons.
Trust in your site
Browsers are starting to alert people to the fact that the website they are on is not secure. For obvious reasons, it’s not ideal for a customer/client to see a warning appear whenever they visit your website.
People are also starting to learn what this padlock means. Knowing that they are on a website that is secure can increase their trust in your brand.
Search Engine Optimisation
Search engines such as Google have also started to pay attention to the security of a website when deciding what pages should appear first in their search engine results. When all other things are equal between two websites, Google will give preferential treatment to the one that provides better security for its visitors.
How can I improve my website security?
We have been able to come up with a cost-effective solution for providing SSL certificates to our clients. If your website is hosted with Bizboost, and you would like to upgrade your hosting package to include an SSL certificate, all that is required is for you to contact us to let us know.
If you have any questions about SSL certificates or whether upgrading your hosting package is the right choice for your business, don’t hesitate to contact us.
