You may have noticed recently that there has been a shift toward browsers (Chrome, Safari etc) showing “Secure” or “Not Secure” next the website url in their address bar.

If a website is showing as “Secure”, or more recently showing a closed padlock, they have what is called an SSL certificate.

SSL, or Secure Sockets Layer, is a security technology for establishing an encrypted link between a server and a client, for example a a web server (website) and a browser, or a mail server and a mail client (e.g., Outlook). Having an SSL certificate also means that the start of your url is https:// rather than http://.

So for websites without an SSL certificate unfortunately the words “Not Secure” will now be shown in the browsers address bar before your website url and this can be a concern for businesses trying to build trust online.

Traditionally only websites that had an e-commerce facility (online stores etc) needed an SSL certificate and it was thought to be overkill for everyone else. However Google announced that having an SSL certificate would become part of their algorithm of ranking websites and with SEO top of mind a lot of people jumped on board.

Now with “Not Secure” being the first thing many users see when visiting a site, and trust being so important when doing business with a company – especially online, there is a shift toward more websites adapting SSL.

If you would like an SSL certificate set up on your website we can help you, just Contact Us and we will get it organised for you.