Why Skipping an SSL Certificate Could Sink Your Website

Credit card skimmers at gas stations are a big deal these days. And if you can tell that a pump has been hacked, you’re going to choose a different pump, aren’t you? Or maybe even a different gas station, right? Well, the online world has a great way to warn you when a website you’re browsing is secure – or if it’s not. It’s with an SSL certificate.

But what is an SSL certificate? And why is it important to your business? Well, let’s get the lowdown and answer those important questions.

What is the SSL Certificate?

So what’s the SSL certificate? Well, SSL stands for secure socket layer. And it’s a layer of protection for users, so that their information can’t be hijacked en route to the web server. There’s an easy way to tell if you’re browsing a secure site… look up and to the left of the URL. See that locked padlock symbol? You’re on a secured website. What you don’t want to see is the unlocked padlock…

But first, let’s take a quick step back for an online history lesson…

Way back when (in 2016), SSL was complicated, expensive, and anyone who could avoid having it did. In fact, it was usually only websites with an online store that bothered to secure the SSL. It really was that big of an expense – and a pain!

But in 2017, access to the SSL suddenly got easier. It also got a lot more cost efficient. In fact, Let’s Encrypt began offering free SSLs. And, in many cases, activating an SSL on your website went from a convoluted process to 3 simple clicks.

Pretty awesome, right? That’s definitely beneficial to all those websites that sell stuff.

But why would your customers want to see that locked padlock on your website?

Why a secure website is important to your users and clients

There’s two main reasons that a secure website is important to your clients.

Reason #1: Without that locked padlock, nothing on your website is safe. If your site isn’t secure, and you’ve got a “Contact Our Business” box or an opt-in for your email list, people won’t be as likely to use those. Why? Because their name or email address could get lifted by an online credit card skimmer.

And because you don’t have that locked, safe symbol, people know that their data isn’t safe on your site. In other words, your opt-in rates are going to get dropped like a bad date.

Now, not every client will know exactly what the padlock symbol means. So you could maybe still get away with skipping the SSL certificate, if it weren’t for reason #2.

And why you can expect to be sunk if you don’t get one ASAP

Reason #2: If you don’t get one, Google will list your website as “not secure”, or worse, as “this site is not to be trusted.”

Yup. If you don’t get that SSL certificate by late summer 2018, Google’s algorithm will sink your website. Yeah, this is now a part of their ranking rules. Why? Because they want to make the Chrome user’s experience even better. And since Google’s kind of a big deal in the SEO world, we need to play nice – and by their rules.

Oh – and a quick heads up: not every SSL is created equal. In fact, some SSLs that were created prior to 2016 could automatically trigger the “this site is not to be trusted” response from Google. Thankfully, there’s a super easy way to make sure that your website’s safe, secure, and SSL ready for Google’s new requirements. Just contact me and I’ll send you the URL to the website where you can double check that your pre-2016 SSL is safe.

Okay, so getting a proper SSL certificate is kind of a Big Deal. And getting it set up right is also a big deal. But once that’s done, you’re on Google’s nice list; your users will have a better, safer experience, and you’ll rest easier knowing that people continue to trust you and your business.

Make sure you’re site is trustworthy and request your call today at FieryFX.com/15min

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