Right now, SSL certificates come with the incentive of guaranteed improved search rankings. But Google is showing they’re not afraid to use Google Chrome to “punish” sites who don’t move to SSL. Below I go over what an SSL Certificate is, why you need one, and how to get them.
Have you ever noticed how sometimes websites start with “http://” and other times they start with “https://” and have a green padlock nearby? That’s the end result of an SSL certificate.
SSL Certificates are small data files that digitally bind a cryptographic key to an organization’s details. When installed on a web server, it activates the padlock and the https protocol and allows secure connections from a web server to a browser. Typically, SSL is used to secure credit card transactions, data transfer and logins, and more recently is becoming the norm when securing browsing of social media sites.
As mentioned above, SSL Certificates allows secure connections from a web server to a browser. This makes for secure credit card transactions, data transfer and logins, and more recently is becoming the norm when securing browsing of social media sites.
So, “SSL” is short for Secure Sockets Layer. In simpler terms, it is a means for small business to communicate to their customers that they can browse, shop/pay, and share information, safely with you online. Stated simply, in a non-technical manner, adding an SSL creates a safe connection aka online environment.
There are three ways to get an SSL certificate for your website:
- DIY – There are only a few services for free SSL certificates. We recommend SSLforfree. (This article by Elegant Themes will help guide you through the process or you can watch KIMoFy’s video, which is provided below for your convenience.)
- You can purchase your own SSL from your hosting provider or a third party provider. Do some research as Google has been objecting to distrusted certificates created by Symantec.
- Get Pod Creative to take care of the whole process for you.