Do I need an SSL Certificate?

Do I need an SSL certificate?

If your website doesn’t have a valid SSL certificate, it will be flagged as ‘Not Secure’ by Google.

The reality of this is a loss in trust of visitors to your website, potential damage to the trust in your business, and a significant drop-off in the profitability of your website.

It also puts your customers data at risk.

As this is such an important issue for our clients, we’ve broken the discussion in to key points for why you need an SSL certificate.

What is an SSL certificate?

An SSL certificate is a secure sockets layer certificate. It forms a secure connection between your website’s server and your customers web browser.

It does this by encrypting and storing any information transferred between you and your website visitor, and vice versa. This information can be anything from bank details, to name and address in a contact form.

It is an integral level of security for your website, and is now considered compulsory with regards to best practice.

Why do I need an SSL certificate?

As of July 2018, Google started marking all sites without an SSL certificate as ‘Not Secure’. Even worse, when a website holds an SSL certificate which has expired it put a barrier between the customer and the website denying access full-stop.

While a website can function without an SSL certificate, not having one can bring about a perfect storm of negative influences on your website’s performance.

When do I need an SSL certificate?

You need an SSL certificate if your website deals with any kind of transfer of information between you and a visitor.

This is commonly during a transaction, but even if you have a contact form you’ll need an SSL certificate.

If you’re website is hacked and your user data is taken – and you can’t demonstrate adequate steps have been taken to prevent this – you will be in contravention of recent GDPR changes and be liable to a fine of up to €20m.

How do I get an SSL certificate?

golivenow.uk offer a full SSL certificate’s which comply with all SSL certificate requirements.

How much is an SSL certificate?

golivenow.uk’s SSL certificates are free with our hosting!

How do I install my SSL certificate?

Anyone can install an SSL certificate, providing they access to their hosting, but the process can be tricky and involves follow-up steps pertaining to the content of your website. If you’d like assistance with your SSL certificate installation, get in touch – we’re here to help.