Give Your Customers the Peace of Mind That They Need
Consumers everywhere are wary about entering their information– whether it is personal or financial– into a website. In an age where the media is saturated with stories about digital identity theft, customers need to know that their security is valued.
That’s why SSL Certificates are essential.
What’s an SSL Certificate?
In simple terms, SSL certificates help customers to place trust in your ecommerce store.
All websites with a green padlock icon at the top of the browser are secured with an SSL certificate. With an SSL certificate, the beginning of your website’s domain name will also change from http to https. Not only does the SSL certificate keep your private information safe from hackers, it also uses a cryptographic key that translates credit card numbers, login credentials and more.
So, adding an SSL certificate to your ecommerce store gives customers the opportunity to have a secure session. After the secure session begins, all data exchanged between the customer and the website is protected.
For ecommerce store owners, an SSL certificate is a worthwhile addition to your website.
Google’s October 2017 Update
In December of 2015, Google began giving preference to websites with SSL certificates. This means that it became one of several SEO ranking factors. In 2017, though, Google began influencing consumer decisions based on SSL certificates as well.
With this new update, Google now alerts customers visiting a website without an SSL certificate.
Without an SSL certificate, ecommerce store owners are effectively negating all marketing and advertising efforts directed toward increasing sales.
All Websites With Forms Must Have SSL Certificates
These rules only apply to websites with forms– but all websites have forms. Especially ecommerce websites.
A form is any question asked by the business owner to the customer.
- What is your email address?
- Do you want to receive email notifications about new products?
- What is your first and last name?
- Please enter your credit card number.
All of these simplistic questions are facilitated through HTML forms, which are regularly integrated in websites. The simplest lead-gathering websites may only have one form; ecommerce stores have many.
So, in order to conduct business properly, your website needs a form.
Why Do I Need an SSL Certificate?
Secure Data
When you operate an ecommerce store, there will be no shortage of hackers attempting to breach your website. An SSL certificate will complement the other security measures– such as (what are they?)– keeping your information and customers’ information safe.
Boost Rankings on Google
With competitors on your radar, it always helps to rank well on Google. That’s why SEO for your ecommerce store is so important. With an SSL certificate installed on your website, your ecommerce store will enjoy a natural advantage over those without an SSL certificate.
Lowers Bounce Rate
If a customer is alerted by Google that the website does not have an SSL certificate, the chances that he or she will stay on the website are low. In most cases, the searcher will return to the search engine results page and select a different option. Installing an SSL certificate into your ecommerce store will lower the bounce rate– or the percentage of people who leave for a different website.
Cultivate a Sense of Trust
Customers need to be reassured that their data is safe with you. An SSL certificate signifies to customers that the business cares about security, and has taken active steps to safeguard them.
Keep Your Website And Your Customers Safe
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