SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer and is a type of website security that establishes a reliable encrypted connection between a user’s browser and the web server that hosts the website.
What is HTTPS?
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) was the most widely used cryptographic protocol for securing internet communications before it was replaced by Transport Layer Security (TLS) in 1999. Despite the abolition of SSL and the introduction of TLS instead, most people still refer to this technology as “SSL.”
SSL provides a reliable channel between two computers or devices operating over the Internet or an internal network.
A typical example is the use of SSL to secure communication over the Internet. It changes the address of a website from HTTP to HTTPS and the letter ‘S’ to ‘secure’.
We recommend that all websites are secured in some way with SSL, even if they are not for e-commerce, transactions, or the collection of user data, as this offers several other significant benefits, including;
The Benefits Of HTTPS
Security
One of the main benefits of HTTPS is that it provides security and trust, and it protects users from man-in-the-middle (MitM) attacks that can be launched from compromised or insecure networks. Hackers can use these techniques to steal your customers’ confidential data.
The implementation of SSL protects all data transferred between the server and the browser during a user session with your website.
This is a critical component of data protection and, in particular, the new GDPR legislation to protect personal data.
Confidence
The Green padlock that appears on a secure website assures customers that your website is trusted and their data is safe, leading to higher conversion rates and loyalty.
SEO/Search Value
If your domain has the letters HTTPS in front of the www, your website has a clear advantage over those using the old HTTP. This data comes directly from Google. Back in 2015, Gary Illyes revealed that, for otherwise identical websites, Google’s search engine always favors those secured with the hypertext transfer protocol (HTTPS).
Mozcast tests confirm this. Between January and October last year, the number of websites appearing at the top of Google searches that support HTTPS increased from 25% to 40%.
Google’s algorithm increasingly favors HTTPS because the company wants to give preference to secure websites. In fact, Google has openly expressed its desire to one day make the entire web secure, including websites that do not process sensitive data. The 56th update of Google Chrome, released in January 2017, is a further step towards this goal.
Since the release of this update, Chrome users have received a security warning every time they access a website that is served via HTTP instead of HTTPS. In the coming months, Google’s preference for HTTPS is likely to severely impact HTTP websites.
Mobile technology
The move to HTTPS has another significant advantage. No serious modern business can afford to overlook mobile technology. Making sure your website is mobile-friendly and considers factors such as page load speed is as critical to success in the modern marketplace as applying the latest SEO strategy.
Google Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) is becoming an increasingly important part of optimizing your domain for smartphones. Google developed AMP to reduce load times on mobile devices, and AMP content tends to be more prominent in search results, but it can only work with websites served via HTTPS. This is also increasingly the case with the new generation of browsers and progressive web apps that have been developed with HTTPS in mind and will not work with HTTP.
Should you switch
website operators will likely have no choice but to switch to HTTPS, and if you get ahead of the curve by switching now, your website could have a significant advantage.
If you need to request cleanup you can contact the FixHackedSite support team.
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