What is an SSL Certificate?
You may have heard SSL certificates mentioned before. They are nothing new and have in fact been around for over 20 years, but with recent changes to how Google displays websites, it has never been more important your website to have one. As of July 2018 Google actively marks all websites without an SSL certificate as ‘not secure’
What does an SSL Certificate Actually do?
An SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate ensures that sensitive data entered on your site by your visitors is encrypted and transferred over a secure network. While this might not seem a critical requirement if all you have on your site is a simple contact form, it doesn’t change the fact that visitors will see a warning that your site is not secure.
The problem here arises when your visitor doesn’t truly understand the meaning of the ‘not secure’ message. Whilst it doesn’t mean your site itself is going to magically infect their computer with a virus, there is a high probability that a certain percentage of visitors will believe this to be the case. Their next action on your site may very well be to exit and go to your competitor’s site instead.
So with the basics of an SSL certificate covered, let’s look at 4 reasons why your tree surgery website should have one.
1. Increase Your Website’s Security
The primary function of the SSL certificate is to protect any sensitive data transmitted to and from your website. This could include things such as login details, registrations, addresses, and payment information. If you are using a site that takes any of these details then you absolutely should have an SSL certificate. And even if you are not, you should still have one for the reasons listed above.
2. Secure Your Subdomains
Arbtalk Media Ltd include wildcard SSL certificates as standard with our tree surgery website hosting. These specific types of SSL allow you to secure your main site as well as any subdomains you may be using. If you are running a large website with several subdomains that means you only ever need to install one SSL certificate.
3. Website Credibility and Trust
In this day and age, cyber security is a massive threat and the majority of users are more aware than ever of the risks. Not having an SSL certificate means your visitors may see a warning that your site is unsafe. On the other hand, with an SSL certificate installed your visitors will see your site marked as secure. This will help gain your visitor’s trust.
4. SEO Advantages
Having an SSL certificate will give your site a slight boosting rank. Whether or not it is a significant reason alone to upgrade is not clear yet. One thing is clear however. If all your competitor’s sites have an SSL and you don’t, you are immediately at a disadvantage.
How do I get an SSL Certificate for my Tree Surgery Website?
Arbtalk Media Ltd supplies wildcard SSL certificates free with all our hosting packages. If we are building a site for you, then your new site will come with an SSL as standard. If you’re migrating your site to us, we will install an SSL certificate as part of the process. Even if your website isn’t with us, it should be a relatively simple task for any host to implement. Be warned though, some are still trying to charge you for the privilege.
Get in touch with us at info@arbtalkmedia.co.uk for more information.
