SSL

Getting your visitors to use your website as safely as possible? Good SSL is very important here. What is SSL and why is it so important for your website? I discuss the concept in detail here and give you advice.

What is SSL?

SSL is a technique for securing traffic between the Web server and the Web site visitor. The data exchanged is given a security layer, so to speak, making it unreadable to other parties. SSL is therefore important for user privacy.(1)

Here’s how to tell if a website is SSL enabled

Using a website safely? Then it is important that it has an SSL certificate. How can you tell if a website has this certificate? This can be seen in several ways:

• The website URL has https instead of http. The S stands for secure and this means SSL certificate
• There is a green lock icon in the website address bar. This represents website security through an SSL certificate

The SSL is not only for encrypting traffic, it is also a way to verify the identity of a server. Therefore, organizations with sensitive information often have an even more elaborate version of an SSL certificate.

The impact of SSL on SEO

SSL impacts the SEO of a website or page. It is a way to ensure the security and privacy of users: thus, Google and other search engines take this into account when rating websites. Although you need to consider other things besides the SSL, this certificate is definitely a way to optimize the website for the search engine.

A side note here is that an SSL certificate is not going to make your Web site an industry leader. I always say: you can’t make an SSL certificate, you can break it.

My advice

We recommend requesting an SSL certificate from an outside party. This will ensure a safe environment for the visitors to your website and also ensure good SEO. Be sure to purchase such a certificate from a trusted party. This does not have to cost hundreds of dollars, but it is also important to question companies that offer free SSL certificates. For a properly working and secure SSL certificate, you usually pay a few dollars.