What are SSL Certificates and Why Do You Need Them?

Have you ever seen a ‘secure SSL’ warning sign? It might have popped up when you’ve been paying for something on a website. “SSL Certificate Not Valid. Do you trust this site?”

If you’re like most of the browsers on the Internet, your first thought was, ‘What is an SSL certificate?’ We’re so glad you asked. As a buyer of products on the Internet, it’s important to know the value of a secure SSL certificate. As a seller of products on the Internet it is crucial to know the value of an SSL certificate, and the damage it could do to your reputation if you don’t have one working properly.

SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer. SSL technology was developed by Netscape to allow computers to speak to each other securely, without the potential for eavesdropping, tampering or forging information. It uses a system of ‘keys’ to ensure that only trusted websites have access to the information being sent. SSL Certificates are typically only used when private data is being transmitted over the Internet, like credit card details, passwords or even social media websites.

Why Do I Need SSL Certificates?

If you don’t install SSL certificates , every piece of information transferred to another site can be seen by other browsers. Your customers will not trust your website unless it clearly uses SSL certificates. Research performed by Gartner suggests that over 70% of online shoppers didn’t complete a sale because they didn’t trust the website. The display of a logo confirming the presence of an SSL certificate will boost their confidence and boost your sales.

How Do I Get An SSL Certificate?

To buy SSL Certificates you need to go to a Certificate Authority. The Certificate Authority will allow you to purchase an ssl certificate and a badge that you can display on your website. A Certificate Authority is an organisation responsible for issuing SSL certificates and maintaining information on each person using one. Detailed information about the company buying the SSL certificate is kept on record by the Certificate Authorities. The authorities themselves are regularly audited to ensure they are complying with standards and monitoring the activities of their clients. Certificate Authorities differ in their prices and service levels. Some of the larger certificate authorities charge more for their products because they are well recognized. The purpose of buying SSL certificates is to instil trust into the consumer. For many organisations, the additional trust given by a well-recognized brand is worth the extra money.

How Many Domain Names Does One SSL Certificate Cover?

Each SSL Certificate covers only one domain name, unless you buy a ‘wildcard’ SSL certificate. A wildcard SSL certificate includes subdomains (such as mail.awesomedomainname.com.au) as well as your main domain (awesomedomainname.com.au). If you attempt to avoid buying multiple ssl certificates and try to use a secure ssl certificate on a different domain name, it will work but will display an error to the user. This is not a good outcome when the point of an SSL certificate is to instill trust in your customer.

Remember to prominently display your SSL certificate badge to assure customers that your site is safe and protecting their details. If you need help with your SSL certificates, view our SSL products.