{"id":7588,"date":"2021-03-01T19:03:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-01T19:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crimsondesigns.com\/blog\/?p=7588"},"modified":"2024-06-12T14:16:56","modified_gmt":"2024-06-12T14:16:56","slug":"website-ssl-certificate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crimsondesigns.com\/blog\/website-ssl-certificate\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Your Website Needs an SSL Certificate"},"content":{"rendered":"

Perhaps, you\u2019ve just checked your website and seen the words \u201cNot Secure<\/strong>\u201d (before your URL<\/a><\/strong>) in the address bar\u00a0at the top of a web browser. Now you\u2019re wondering how to fix it. You simply need to install an SSL Certificate<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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A few years ago, SSL was recommended for eCommerce websites and specific pages of websites where sensitive information would be transmitted or received. In 2018<\/strong>, that changed.<\/p>\n

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Today, every website needs an SSL certificate.<\/h2>\n
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What is an SSL certificate?<\/strong> An SSL is a digital file that establishes a secure connection between a web browser and a site server. It has a public key and a private key that work together to establish a secure connection with encryption.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

How to Recognize a Website with an SSL Certificate<\/h3>\n

When you visit a website with an SSL certificate, the URL starts with\u00a0\u201chttps:\/\/<\/strong>\u201d instead of \u201chttp:\/\/<\/strong>\u201c. The \u2018S<\/strong>\u2018 at the end of HTTPS stands for \u2018Secure\u2019.<\/p>\n

\"Secure<\/figure>\n

Understanding HTTP and HTTPS<\/h3>\n
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What is HTTP?<\/strong> When you type a website address (URL) into your web browser (such as Google Chrome), the browser sends an HTTP request message to the server, asking it to send a copy of the website to your computer. The server response contains the web page you requested. It is sent to your computer using HTTP.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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When you send information back to the website, to log in, for example, your computer also communicates with the server using HTTP. But, communications such as these are sent in \u2018plain text<\/strong>.\u2019 They could be read by hackers<\/strong> that manage to break into the connection between the browser and server.<\/p>\n

This is where the secure version of HTTP, known as HTTPS<\/strong>, comes in to provide a more secure connection.<\/p>\n

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Using HTTPS, the messages sent between the server and computer are scrambled so that no one in between can read them. This keeps your information safe from hackers. They use a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)<\/strong> to send the information back and forth.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Look for the Padlock Icon<\/h3>\n
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\"Secure<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

You can tell if a site is protected by SSL encryption when you see a \u201cpadlock<\/strong>\u201d icon and HTTPS before a page\u2019s URL in the address bar of a web browser (such as Chrome or Firefox).<\/p>\n

Installing SSL Certificates<\/h2>\n