If you’re running an online business, chances are you’ve heard a thing or two about the SSL certificate. Don’t worry, SSL may sound a bit complicated when you first stumble upon it but the Secured Socket Layer which SSL stands for is quite easy to grasp. It’s actually just a tiny data file that serves to digitally bind your business’s details using a cryptographic key. What this does is ensure that any activity that takes place on your website is secure. And if you want to find out more about it, here’s how an SSL certificate can influence your online business.
Keeps your customers safe
Running an only business means all the transactions between you and your customers take place online. In order for this to happen, they have to leave their personal information such as their name, address and credit card number on your website. The last thing you want to do is give the internet frauds a chance to access your customers’ information. Not only does this mean that those customers won’t be interested in buying from you ever again but a data leak might hurt your company’s reputation quite a lot. Obviously, it’s natural that you should do everything that’s in your power to secure your website as much as possible.
Boosts your company’s credibility
We’ve all heard stories about companies that didn’t secure their websites and had had their customers’ information stolen. Your potential customers are no exception and there’s no doubt they prefer buying from companies they can trust. Just the fact that your organization has the SSL certificate means you can expect potential customers to take your business more seriously and be more likely to buy from you than companies without the certificate. And now it is very easy to get cheap SSL certificate from the market compared to previous years. On top of this, having the SSL certificate also means shows that your business actually cares about its customers which is always a huge plus. Also, prepare for internet users to engage more in your content if you have the certificate as they’ll see your website as a more reliable source of information.
Improves your ranking
There’s no need to say that ranking well on search engine results pages have become a must. If you want people to enter your website, you simply have to ensure it shows up in the first search results page on Google. That said, you should also know that last year, Google announced that they’ll be labeling all websites without an SSL certificate “not secure.” This can seriously impact the ranking of your website if you don’t have a certificate. If you’re still not convinced search engine ranking is that important, just take a look at websites such as AskGamblers and how much they’ve benefited from ranking well on Google. Consider getting the SSL certificate and your SEO efforts will receive a huge boost.
Protects business information
We already talked about how important it is for a business to keep their customers’ information secured but what about your own information? No matter what you sell online, there’s probably plenty of important information stored on your website. Having internet wrongdoers get their hands on it has the potential to hurt your company in so many ways. First of all, if you don’t have your data backed up, your business might suffer a fatal data loss. Also, internet frauds will have an insight into how well your company’s doing and might even sell company secrets. It’s much easier to get the SSL certificate and ensure no unauthorized individual is able to access your organization’s important data.
Boosts your brand value
Another important thing to have in mind about SSL certificate is that it can also give your brand value a significant boost. When an internet user sees that you have the certificate, they won’t only trust your website more but they’ll also feel more confident about your brand in general. What this means is that getting the SSL certificate can help you get your brand recognized and more valuable. If you do some research online, you’ll see that web users often discuss how safe an organization’s website is and consider it to be directly connected to brand value. Therefore, if you’ve been looking for a way to make your brand more valuable, this might just be it.
Final thoughts
All in all, getting the SSL certificate for your online business really is a no brainer. Not only does it mean both you and your customers will be safer but it’ll also do wonders for your website and brand in general.
