As the digital era skyrockets and technology evolves, the security of the information you release becomes increasingly more precious. There are many cyber attackers hanging out in the chaos of the web. Their intentions are to find your unsecured data to steal and use for themselves. Therefore, you need to take precautions to protect your website.

How do you, as a small business owner, protect not only your customer’s information but your own as well? What makes the difference between a safe website your customers feel is credible and one they feel may be unreliable? The answer to all this is an SSL certificate.

What is an SSL Certificate?

Although you may not have heard the name before, an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate is something anyone who has visited any website will instantly recognize. You may be familiar with the padlock icon that appears in the corner of your search bar. They’re digital certificates that create strong internet security by establishing an encrypted connection between an individual’s computer and your website. By doing this, it protects sensitive data from being exchanged when it is not warranted.

How SSL Certificates Help Businesses

Securing your website with an SSL certificate can have many benefits for your business. First and foremost, it will help you retain customers who are visiting your website. According to Stratejus, “Customers are more likely to trust and complete purchases from sites that use HTTPS.” They also point out that 17% of customers didn’t complete a purchase because they were concerned about payment security on a site. If you don’t want this happening to you, an SSL Certificate is worth the investment.

More benefits include an increase in SEO rankings, support from the credit card industry, legitimacy, and stronger brand recognition. This is an essential tool to have in your arsenal, as Google Chrome has made websites without SSL certificates look unreliable placing a “not secure” warning next to any site without one.

Furthermore, information from credit cards is easily compromised without protection, but this will allow such data to be encrypted. Updating your site with an SSL certificate will provide your customers the security they need to follow through with online purchases of your product or service.

Obtaining an SSL Certificate

Getting an SSL certificate is easy because there are many sites that offer them. BrandRep understands the importance of securing your business and your customers’ data, which is why we offer SSL certificates for websites. With all these resources to secure your site, there is no excuse for you not to do so.

Having an SSL certificate ultimately benefits your business in the long run. Make sure you secure your website.