One thing about dealing with the online world is that you encounter people with every level of expertise and experience. But whether you are talking to your 90 year old grandmother or to the CEO of the most experienced New York web design company, one thing that everyone knows is that cybercrime is on the up and online security needs to be at the top of your list.
Companies like Google have been at the forefront of encouraging not just those surfing the net but the people responsible for web development in New York and across the world to make cyberspace a safer place. One of the fundamental tools for doing so is SSL, and if your site is not using it, it will be the first thing any New York web design company worth talking to will tell you to get in place.
What is SSL?
SSL stands for “secure socket layer” but unless you are one of those companies delivering web design and development in New York, there is no need to go deeply into the technical details. The point is that if you have an SSL certificate, data is transmitted between your site and your visitor across a secure and encrypted channel.
These days, protection of personal data is taken more seriously than ever – we need only look at all the media attention the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union has caused across the world to see that. Having SSL is both one of the simplest and most obvious ways of demonstrating that your site takes data protection and security simply. Unfortunately, the opposite also applies, and if you don’t have SSL, it is painfully obvious, and creates an impression that will drive potential visitors away in their droves.
Is your site secure?
It might be the case that your site has SSL protection already, and you don’t even know it. If you have sat down with your favorite New York web design company and built the site from scratch over the past year or so, the chances are, SSL came as standard, particularly if you used a platform like WordPress.
The easiest way to tell is to check the url in the address bar. If it begins with the letters https:// then you know it is SSL encrypted. If it is just http:// then it is not. For anyone using Google Chrome, however, there is an even easier way to know. Visitors clicking on a site that is not SSL encrypted get an automatic warning flashing up on the screen telling them the site is not secure and asking them if they really want to proceed. Can you imagine a more effective way of scaring off potential customers than that?
Better for SEO
Offering visitors a more secure online experience and not frightening them away should be a sufficient reason in and of itself to make sure you have the necessary SSL certificate. However, if you need another reason, it is also worth noting that Google gives sites with SSL a slight ranking boost over those that do not. In other words, you should start to see your site featuring higher on the results pages when you get the certification in place.
How to get an SSL certificate
As SSL has become the rule, as opposed to the exception, content management systems like WordPress and hosting providers like GoDaddy have started to offer it as standard, instead of a paid extra. Most sites that run into SSL certification problems, therefore, are ones that have been around for a while and that originally went live before SSL was seen as such a big deal. It’s time to ask a New York web design company for assistance.
If you fall into this category, you might be able to catch up with the rest by simply speaking to your hosting company and getting upgraded for free. However, as with all things in life, you get what you pay for – an extended validation (EV) certificate will cost a few dollars, but has additional trust indicators, including that comforting green bar in the browser, and will show visitors that you take security as seriously as they do.
For more guidance or advice, why not give us a call and we’ll provide some guidance on the best solution for your site. Call for a free consultation 516-883-3851. Do you like what you just read? Please leave your comments and questions below.
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