If you’re wondering why your website is showing up as an unsecured site in your web browser, we might have the answer to that. It’s quite simple- it means you do not possess an SSL certificate that converts your pages into secure, encrypted HTTP pages.
If you think an SSL certificate is not required and that a HTTP protocol is enough, you might be mistaken, as that simply doesn’t hold true today.
When visitors notice the “Not Secure” tag that comes along with the lack of an SSL certificate, they will be less likely to engage with your company or buy anything from you at all.
SSL, which stands for Secure Sockets Layer are data files that add a cryptographic key along with a company’s details. In other words, these certificates bind a company name or host name with the company name and location.
Here’s how it works:
When a website is accessed, the browser requests the web server to reveal its identity, after which the server with the SSL certificate sends the browser a copy for review. The browser then checks to determine whether or not it trusts the certificate, and accordingly, relays the message back to the web server.
Encrypted or secured data is then shared between the server and browser.
Advantages of SSL:
- It makes browsing safe for your customers as well as builds trust and boosts conversions while protecting internal and customer data.
- They help you rank higher in Google because they are made possible with HTTPS. Besides, Google is now marking all non-HTTP sites as unsecure.
- Nobody is going to be hesitant about purchasing something from a website that is SSL certified; hence you can readily show it off to your customers who will in turn help boost sales and transparency.
- Since Google rewards URLs with HTTP protocols for being secure, you would be able to get a minor SEO boost in comparison to sites without them.
There are different types of certificates and you have to pick the one that works the best for your budget and site needs. Some of the reliable sites that you can acquire this from are GoDaddy, CloudFlare and Comodo.
How to install an SSL Certificate:
- Purchase the SSL Certificate
After making sure you purchase it from a reliable source, you will probably need to upload a copy of your certificate signing request (CSR). Once you’ve purchased it, you are ready to activate.
- Activation
Based on where you’ve purchased it from, your web host will activate your SSL for you. For instance, if you’ve purchased an SLL from GoDaddy, you will have to log into your account to set it up.
- Validate your certificate
Before you officially begin to use an SSL certificate, make sure you diagnose any problems associated with it. For this, you will have to use an SSL checker tool. You then have to install the certificate on your hosting server in case it hasn’t been done by your web host.
- Install the certificate onto the hosting server
This essentially depends on where you’ve built your site. For instance if you’ve used Duda to build your website, you’ll have to set up your certificate there.
- Check the links
If you have old Google links or outdated links to your pages, set up a redirect so that requests can be changed to HTTP ones. After adding the appropriate codes, check if your site is working well and that requests are being directed to the new version of URLs.
In conclusion, if you don’t want to lose site visitors every minute, SSL certificate will definitely help. Just ensure the source is trusted.