Why Does My Online Store Need an SSL Certificate?

Shopping on the internet has become a standard practice by millions around the world. You get that, which is why you have an online store ready for anyone to purchase your products or services. While doing research for building your website, or perhaps even after trying to apply for a merchant account, you most likely encountered advice for obtaining an SSL certificate for your web shop.

What’s an SSL Certificate?

Firstly, SSL is an acronym for “secure sockets layer” — when, for example, someone visits a website, they may notice a lock icon next to the URL in the address bar, or that the entire bar is green and there’s an additional ‘s’ after ‘http’ — these are three indications that a website is using an SSL certificate. But what exactly does it do? The most important function of an SSL certificate is that it protects sensitive information that can be shared on a website (i.e. credit card numbers, social security numbers, personal information, etc.) by creating a secure connection between a browser and web server. It does this by encrypting the data transmitted and providing authentication.

The second crucial reason you need an SSL certificate? Trust. These days, customers are accustomed to shopping on a secure site — they know the signs to look for. You create trust by letting your visitors know they can feel safe on your site because you have secured their connection via an SSL certificate.

SSL certificates can be obtained quite inexpensively and offer security and peace of mind.