SSL – Do I Need It?

SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer, and is the standard security technology for establishing an encrypted connection between you and a web server. Your credit card  information must be encrypted or else it’s at risk for being stolen. The url starts with “https” and you should see a lock icon in your browser to the left of the url.  You have probably noticed it when you pay online. If you don’t see both items, then you should not enter your credit card information.

So. the question is, do you need it on your website? 
If you have members or customers who need to log into your website, then yes. Or at least that is what the current browsers are telling us. You may have noticed a warning message when you log into your WordPress admin panel. To be on the safe side and with the main browsers going in this direction, I would recommend using SSL. On top of that, it seems this can boost your Google Search Engine Optimization (SEO) rankings.

How do you install SSL on your server?
The first step is to buy an SSL certificate. These can be purchased from many online vendors and range in price from under $100 to over $700 per year, depending on the features. However, there is one place where they are free! Check out Let’s Encrypt. To purchase an SSL cerificate you must prove who you are and go thru a short validation process. Basically, once they generate the SSL certificate, you send it to your server support folks to install it. That’s the stuff I usually handle for you.

Feel free to contact me to discuss your options.

For a more in depth look  at setting up SSL on you site, check out this link.