SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer and is a technology used to encrypt data being transmitted between your visitors and the servers in order to prevent eavesdropping. This is particularly crucial when sensitive information such as credit card numbers or passwords are being entered on your website, as is often the case for online stores, contact forms, or password-protected sections. Sites secured by an SSL certificate will show a padlock in the address bar and may choose to display a special site seal to certify that data transmissions are protected.

If you sell items online, have password-protected sections on your website, host online forms requesting personal information, or send sensitive emails from your domain, you are strongly encouraged to obtain an SSL certificate. Not only will this enhance your account’s security, it will increase the level of trust your visitors have in your website, and will often result in increased conversion rates and sales.

As of January 2015, Google has also started using SSL protection as a ranking algorithm for its search engines. As a result, a website with an SSL certificate will rank higher than a similar website without one. As such, we strongly recommend all website owners to seriously consider protecting their entire site with SSL, regardless of the type of activity being conducted.

If you are using a simple HTML website, using your SSL certificate simply involves changing your links (or URLs) from “http” to “https”. All https pages will automatically be encrypted with your SSL certificate. If you are using a Content Management System (including E-Commerce applications), there will generally be an option in your settings allowing you to easily enable SSL.

If you require any assistance activating SSL settings on your website following an SSL certificate’s installation, please contact our friendly support team and we’ll be happy to assist.