Having a SSL certificate is a vital part of having a website for your business, but what is an SSL certificate?

An SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate is a digital security measure that authenticates the identity of your website and encrypts information sent to the server. Encryption scrambles data into an undecipherable format, making it inaccessible without proper decryption keys.

Certificates are electronic passports that establish an online entity’s credentials when doing business on the Web. When a user attempts to send confidential information, their browser accesses this server’s digital certificate and creates a secure connection.

As for why it’s important to have, well there’s a number of reasons. Having an SSL cert means that your website is much more secure than without. It will protect users personal information, credit card details, passwords, usernames, and sensitive data from outside malicious sources.

How do you know if your site has an SSL cert? When you visit a website, if you look to the upper left hand corner, near the page URL, you should see a lock symbol. If the symbol is there, it means that the site you’re on has a SSL certificate.