Google now officially recommends securing websites with HTTPS, which means, not only will this be important for business's that want their websites to perform well in search, but more of your visitors will come to expect it.

What is an SSL certificate?

SSL stands for Secure Socket Layer, a standard security technology that establishes an encrypted connection between a web server and a browser, with the URL being prefixed with "HTTPS" rather than the standard and unsecure "HTTP".

What does an SSL certificate do

An SSL certificate secures the information that is shared between the browser you are using and the website that you are viewing or interacting with. Any information that you normally submit to a website or retrieve from a site is sent in plain text and can be viewed if an attacker is able to intercept the information. SSL encrypts the information or data that is shared between the browser and the web server, so even if a user's information is captured by someone who is not supposed to have it they will not be able to read the data.

If you do not have an SSL certificate installed, Google, which has a 60 per cent market share with thier Chrome browser, is now flagging all websites that don't use HTTPS as insecure.

Need Help

If you need assistance making sure that your website is secured with SSL and HTTPS, or any other security guidance, please feel free to contact us to discuss further.