Security is one of the top concerns for people shopping online today. People pay bills, handle their banking, and do the majority of their shopping online. Many know to look for the green padlock and “https:” sign beside the URL, and when that doesn’t show up, consumers become wary. Even if they don’t understand the ins and outs of security, they know what that symbol means and won’t complete a transaction.
Here are some of the main reasons you should consider adding sitewide e-commerce SSL certificates to your website:
- It improves your website rankings – Every company that does business online is interested in improving website rankings. Having sitewide SSL certificates is one way to improve rankings. It promotes confidence in the site and reflects well on the brand as being proactively engaged in consumer identity protection.
- Security – It decreases the chance of a peripheral attack. By only having a login page that includes the SSL certificate, the rest of the site is open for message interception and impersonation. Both the consumer and the company can be targeted and scammed through hacks coming from unsecured pages. SSL certificates provide notification to users that a site’s identity has been verified and is safe to view. Proactive security measures that increase consumer confidence are a win-win in the e-commerce world.
- A combination of SSL secured and non-SSL secured pages can be more complicated – The configuration required to move back and forth between secured and unsecured pages can lead to pop-up messages that decrease consumer confidence. Many consumers will go to a competitor site as soon as they encounter a problem or something remotely suspicious in the current site.
- There’s not another secure alternative – You may be concerned about the minimal time lags adding sitewide SSL security will cause for your speed. However, the changes to your loading times is not significant enough of a reason to avoid SSL certificates. At most it will cause about a 1-2% lag. There is no better way to ensure that your site, your consumers, and your company is protected than by implementing sitewide SSL certification.
- It’s cost effective – SSL certificates are not necessarily inexpensive choices, but they are cost effective. Over time, the protection the certification provides can save a company thousands, maybe even millions, of dollars, especially when compared to the cost of a potential hack or data breach.
The security a site-wide SSL certificate provides can enhance conversion rates, sales, consumer confidence, and brand reputation. Every company should consider enhancing their online store with sitewide SSL certificates to ensure that consumers know they are still on a secure website and know that any information transmitted between servers is encrypted. It’s a must-have security features for consumer and company peace of mind.
Changing to a sitewide SSL certficates can require minor alterations to how you structure things for your search engine optimization. So, any time you make a change like this please check your Google Webmaster tools to ensure your website is still indexing o.k.
Matthew is the President of Infront Webworks and is a New England native now calling Colorado Springs home. Matt attended The University of NH where he pursued a BS in Natural Resource Economics & Business Administration. Aside from Infront; Matthew has owned and managed two other online agencies based on the seacoast of New Hampshire and been a key player in multiple technology mergers & acquisitions. When he’s not bathing in technology, online marketing & business; he’s probably spending time with his wife and daughter, boating, skiing the trees, hiking or cooking..he is a foodie for sure!
