With the advent of technological advancement and everyday upgrades, safety measures and security updates have become more than important. Imagine holding a savings account in a bank that explicitly declines to keep your money safe. Or sending sensitive information over a platform that has no end-to-end encryption. Or renting a property that has no lock. Sounds unsafe, right?

In the same vein, imagine landing on a website that doesn’t have a secure interface. While you are all set to make a payment, the insecure interface will make you think twice. This is where an SSL certificate comes into play. It ensures safe online transactions giving users peace of mind. The good news is that it doesn’t even break a bank, as low-cost SSL certificates are available.

In this article, we will be throwing light on the importance of an SSL certificate for a website, especially an e-commerce one, as we step into 2024.

Understanding SSL Certificate

Abbreviation for Secure Sockets Layer, SSL certificate is a symbol of security that assures the users that a particular e-commerce website is safe and sound for shopping purposes and for initiating transactions. But where does an e-commerce website display this SSL certificate? Well, have you ever paid heed to the tiny lock and the word “https” that is a quintessential part of your website URL or Uniform Resource Locator? If one clicks on the lock, one gets to see a dialogue box that reads "Connection is secure". This is an indication that whatever information one enters on this website will remain private and secure.

While “http” stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol, a value addition of “s” certifies end-to-end encryption. This assures the users landing on your website that it is safe for entering sensitive information as well as for initiating transactions.

For e-commerce website owners, an SSL certificate is of paramount importance since the website does ask the users for critical pieces of information such as CVV, debit card number, password, personal information, and other financial information. With such inputs comes the responsibility of safeguarding them and preventing any sort of data breaches. An SSL certificate is your key to a safe and secure e-commerce website. So, any website that compels its users to input such information, should invest in a low-cost SSL certificate.

What benefits does an SSL Certificate have?

Since an SSL certificate is a measure of safety and security, it fosters a website with umpteen benefits. Some of the major merits of having an SSL certificate are as follows:

• Data Encryption

One of the major benefits of SSL is the protection of sensitive data. With the help of data encryption, it helps in seamless and safe data transfer without any malicious data breaches. If the data is intercepted by hackers, chances are that they won’t understand the information being transmitted because of data encryption. Then, it will be next to impossible to misuse the data. Subsequently, the users landing on your website will feel safe given that their data is in responsible hands.

• Reduces the Chances of Phishing

Websites that aim at stealing the sensitive data of their users are termed phishing websites. These websites are often replicas of some original website and try tricking the visitors into filling in their sensitive information. With an SSL certificate in place, it shows that one is accessing a legitimate website and there are no chances of a phishing attack.

• Secure your Passwords and Payments 

As aforementioned, data encryption applies to both passwords and payments. Sometimes, exclusive accounts ought to be created that are accessible only with a password. A password-protected login also requires protection against cyberattacks. An SSL certificate can play an integral role in this by minimizing the vulnerability of such attacks.

If you are an e-commerce website, then chances are that you’ll be demanding some sort of sensitive information from a visitor. Whenever a user enters a piece of sensitive information such as card number, CVV, expiration date, etc., the SSL certificate in the form of a tiny lock and “https” showcases that all these details are being protected and safeguarded against hackers.

While the Payment Cards Industry or PCI regulations demand a minimum of 128-bit encryption on the transmission of such sensitive pieces of information, having an SSL certificate can help one fulfil the requirements quickly. No matter if you are redirecting the visitors to a third-party platform or holding an in-built payment system, nothing can assure the visitors better than a valid and SSL certificate.

• Storing Data

We cannot deny that e-commerce websites don’t just ask for sensitive pieces of information but the tastes and preferences of the visitors too. This includes feedback forms, questionnaires and to name a few. This information helps in enhancing the user experience. With an SSL certificate, one can make sure that this data stays secure.

• Improve Your SEO Ranking

A website is called successful only when it has gained a great SEO ranking. Back in 2014, the search giant Google made it a point to incorporate SSL certificates and “https” as a factor for improving the search rankings. While the boost may not be considerably high, it does give a tag of security to your website. So, without a valid SSL certificate, it is pretty difficult to make your website climb the ladder of SEO ranking. In addition to that, Google also supports SSL certificates which further endorses your website as a safe and secure one. This might give you an edge over those websites that do not hold a valid SSL certificate.

• Gaining Customer Loyalty

One of the most important benefits of an SSL certificate is to gain customer loyalty. Without an SSL certificate, a visitor will be displayed a warning symbol instead of the tiny, safe-looking lock. While such websites are vulnerable to cyberattacks, this warning might discourage visitors from purchasing products or rendering your services no matter how lucrative they are. Moreover, visitors will be asked to go the extra mile by hovering over a small button to access your unsecured website.

For an e-commerce website, holding a valid SSL certificate stands out to be one of the most important elements that pronounce it as a safe and secure platform. Several low-cost SSL options are available for the user to choose from. With benefits such as data encryption, reduced chances of phishing, securing passwords and payments as well as the storage of data of taste and preferences of the visitors, an e-commerce website can generate leads and can grow like never before.

Conclusion

Today, the digitalized world is running at a tremendous speed and 2024 will be no different. Every day, more and more customers from the nook and corner of the globe are becoming a part of the realm of online shopping and are on the lookout for much better platforms. But nobody wants online shopping services at the cost of data breaches and compromised security.

There are umpteen ways of securing a website, especially an e-commerce website. However, SSL certification should be at the top of this list. Given the benefits it fetches, it also stands out to be one of the most hassle-free and seamless ways of enhancing the visitor experience on your e-commerce website. So, what are you waiting for? Get your SSL certificate today and secure your e-commerce website!