What is an SSL Certificate?
An SSL certificate secures the connection between your website and its visitors. You’ve probably seen the green padlock in the address bar when shopping online, which lets you know that the connection is secure. These have always been required for websites that collect payment information.
A while back, Google started encouraging all websites to make the move to HTTPS by slightly favoring secure websites in search results. Google has recently applied more pressure by labeling websites as “not secure” in the address bar of their web browser, Google Chrome.
Why should you get an SSL Certificate now?
The last few versions of Google Chrome (the most popular web browser) started warning users of unsafe connections for forms that collect sensitive data or passwords. But starting in July, all websites were marked as “not secure”, regardless of the context. While this isn’t necessarily a security issue, it can create some uncertainty or distrust for your visitors. Furthermore, Google gives a slight ranking boost to websites that are loaded over https.
How much does it cost?
Traditional SSL certificates can cost between $75 – $300 a year. Luckily, if you host your website with JellyFlea, the SSL certificate itself is free! Depending on your website, implementation usually takes around an hour of work which involves tasks like reconfiguring your website to redirect to https, telling Google to prefer the secure version of your website, and resubmitting your sitemap to Google Webmaster Tools.
Ready to get started?
Contact us today – we’ll evaluate your situation, answer any questions you have, and get your website security up to 2018 standards.