Does your Website really need an SSL Certificate?
Apr 07, 2017
So your new website has finally come together and is looking great, but is it secured with an SSL certificate and does it really need to be? The short answer is, it depends.
What is an SSL certificate?
SSL stands for ‘Secure Sockets Layer’. This is essentially the way businesses can let their customers know that they are able to buy products and share information over the internet with you safely. A SSL certificate on a website means a safe connection has been created for selling and buying. Even if you’re a small business and unlikely to be a target, it’s important to think about the advantages an SSL certificate could have for your business.
Does my website need one?
Whether your website could benefit from an SSL certificate is hugely dependant on the type of business you provide. Having an SSL certificate is completely down to choice and is not compulsory.
Selling Products- if you’re going to be taking credit card payments directly via your website, you’re going to need an SSL certificate in place. This is because it will keep all customers’ credit card information safe and secure due to being encrypted. However, this doesn’t mean your entire site is in need of an SSL certificate; it’s fine to have one located on the store and checkout pages only. If you only use PayPal to take money from customers, you won’t need an SSL certificate as customers aren’t sending money to you directly.
Offering Memberships- if you’re offering memberships on your website, whether they are free or paid, you should consider an SSL certificate. Members will be supplying you with information like their email addresses, full name and password of choice, which is likely to be used on other websites. An SSL certificate will avoid any security breaches taking place, which could result in members’ information leaking across the internet- something you don’t want to be your responsibility.
Forms- websites that require visitors to fill in forms that include personal information, documents and photographs could benefit from an SSL certificate to ensure all the information is kept safe and secure. It’s surprising the amount of information that can be collected about your website visitors even if you aren’t selling any products or subscriptions.
Brochure Site- if your website is solely for promotional reasons and doesn’t feature any products, memberships or personalised forms, SSL certificates are definitely not needed. They cost money and time to set up, and the only possible advantage from an SSL certificate on a website like this would be a slight benefit from Google.
If you’re looking for a new website and need some advice on whether an SSL certificate would be beneficial to you, we can help. Our fantastic team are professionals at web design and development, meaning we can get you a fantastic website up and running, with an SSL if need be.
For more information regarding our work and SSL certificates, you can get in touch with a member of the team by visiting our contact page or calling us on 0800 644 7070.
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