On average, 12 billion searches per month are conducted online in the United States. That’s a lot of people that could be looking at your website. However, without an SSL certificate for your website, you could be missing out on a good percentage of those clicks. What are SSL certificates, and what do they do? Read more to find out.

 

The Basics of SSL Certificates

An SSL certificate is a small data file that binds a cryptographic key to a company’s details. Adding it to a server activates the https protocol and allows for secure connections between the server and a user’s browser. SSL certificates use a private key and public key to safely encrypt data being communicated between the browser and server.

 

When browsing online, you may notice a URL starts with “https:” instead of “http:”. This indicates the website has an SSL certificate, hence the letter “s” at the end. This “s” stands for “secure,” meaning the connection is protected by an SSL certificate.

 

What Do SSL Certificates Do?

In plain English, SSL certificates are used to protect user information that is put into a browser. This includes credit card data, log-in data, and other forms of personal information. If visitors to your site are making any sort of purchases or providing you with any private information, you’ll need an SSL certificate to protect both you and your users.

 

Why Should I Use An SSL Certificate?

SSL certificates are becoming more and more significant outside of making transactions and protecting data. Having an SSL Certificate can boost your SEO by improving where you stand in search engine page rankings. This means more views coming to your page, instead of your competitor’s.

 

Additionally, having an SSL certificate helps to build up customer trust, creating repeat visitors and keeping your visitors on your site longer. An SSL certificate can be the difference between a good website and a great website that builds views and keeps users coming back.

 

Wondering if you could implement an SSL certificate on your website? Contact MRN Web Designs to see if an SSL certificate could help you and for any other web design needs you may have.