What is SSL?
Each day online security becomes a greater concern for online users. The legitimate organization continually looks for ways to prove confidence in a current and potential customer. As a result, SSL came into existence.
SSL stands for Secure Socket Layer that is, in general, a protocol that establishes a secure connection between a browser and a website. It ensures that all the data which is processed during the online activity is immune.
SSL protects information by encrypting data between two servers. Only the host computer can decrypt the data and only the client computer can verify the server certificate. If the session is interrupted for any reason, the session is broken and must be reestablished. Sites that implement the SSL/TLS protocol display a padlock icon in the address bar. So this means that whenever the user is entering or requesting data from the website, he or she can be sure that the data will be encrypted and no one from the third party would be able to encode it or read it. This fact is essential in speaking about the importance of an SSL certificate.
Importance of SSL
There are three main reasons why using an SSL Certificate on a website is important.
SECURITY:
Using an SSL Certificate will encrypt data between a user's browser and your web server and vice versa.
The information sent between a web server and browser goes through many different devices such as routers, switches, proxy servers, etc. and if any of these devices have been hacked then your information could be copied and read.
By using an SSL certificate you enable the encryption of the data and this means that no one can see the information if they intercept it en-route.
TRUST:
If your website visitors see that padlock in the browser address bar it shows them your site is using encrypted data.
For sites like eCommerce sites where financial transactions occur this is a way to show your users that you care about their security and privacy.
Even for blogs, having an SSL Certificate and therefore showing the padlock in browsers reassures visitors that you are ‘security aware’ and that just helps them trust you.
SPEED:
There is a technical thing called HTTP/2 which is an improved way for browsers and web servers to talk to each other.
If your website is configured to take advantage of HTTP/2 it can help make your website faster.
Normally when a browser shows a webpage it has to ask the web server for the HTML, this is what you see when you right-click and choose view page source. Then for every image, style sheet and script the web page uses the browser has to ask the webserver for each one individually.
All of these individual requests for things you see on a web page take time. HTTP/2 allows a website to send everything to the browser in going so speeds things up.
For HTTP/2 to work both the web server and the website need to be configured to use HTTP/2 for there to be any speed increase.
SSL is more than just a technical tool to provide security for transactions; it is a trusted name in security. When customers see the SSL icon, they’re reassured that their financial information is safe and secure. This helps build consumer loyalty and confidence in your brand.
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