Why is SSL Certificate Essential for Digital Marketing
When developing a digital marketing strategy, security must be among the priorities. Installing an SSL certificate on your website improves security by using different methodologies like encryption and authentication to reduce the chances of being attacked by hackers. Some customers are not aware of things like SSL certificates. You must ensure its well installed and configured to protect sensitive information.
Google considers sites with HTTPS safer for users hence improving its search rankings. Once you appear higher in the search results, you will get increased sales indicating your digital marketing plan was good. The guide will enable you to understand the SSL certificate. In addition, how to use it to scale your digital marketing.
What is SSL Certificate?
An SSL certificate is a digital certificate owners install on their websites to provide encryption and authentication for all users. They ensure the users enjoy a secure connection and trust the brand more. Most users can know if your site has an SSL by looking at the visuals on your address, like padlocks.
SSL means Secure Sockets Layer, the protocol for encrypting between the server and the users. Currently, there are several SSL versions, and you are the only one who can choose them. During encryption, SSL has two private and public keys, which you use for different purposes.
There are several types of SSL certificates:
- Wildcard SSL certificates- It ensures you can secure main domain and its first level of subdomains using a single certificate. Having many domains under one certificate is cheaper than buying different certificates for each domain or subdomain.
- Multi-Domain SSL certificates (MDC) – It protects all levels of domains/subdomains on the website. You must specify the domain you want to protect when buying the certificate. For example, if the domain is domain.com, it applies to other subdomains like help.domain.com, contact.domain.com, etc.
- Organization Validated Certificates (OV SSL)-It is a bit different and requires the company to do more verification and validation. It is amongst the most expensive SSL certificate. Once you get it, there is a green padlock with the company logo or details to help users differentiate them from other spam sites.
- Domain Validated Certificates (DV SSL)-It is easier to get and offers minimal encryption than the rest. Most used by informational websites, and it is easier to buy SSL certificate and install it. You can know this domain type by looking at the padlock sign at the beginning of the domain name in the browser bar.
- Unified Communications Certificates (UCC)- They work like Multi-Domain SSL certificates but are mainly made for Microsoft Exchange servers but currently work with any type of website.
- Extended Validation Certificates (EV SSL)-They are the most expensive since it is used on websites that deal with highly sensitive information like collecting payments. Apart from the padlock, it displays the business’s name, country of operation, and HTTPS. It makes it easier to differentiate them from fake websites that can steal your details for their benefit.
There are several places where you can get SSL certificate. They include Comodo PositiveSSL (DV), DigiCert, Entrust Datacard, GeoTrust, GlobalSign, etc. You must remember that they have an expiry date, and you have to renew them annually or monthly, or you can buy it for several years to avoid cases of maybe forgetting to renew and hackers taking advantage.
Why SSL is Essential for Digital Marketing
There are several benefits of using SSL certificate for digital marketing. Some of the benefits include:
1. It increases trust among your customers
Users who view the HTTPS sign on your website feel secure and make a conversion, be it a sale, visit, or subscription. Once they understand you keep their data safe, i.e., credit cards, and personal information, they trust you and can even become repeat customers.
2. It improves search performance
In 2014, Google announced that HTTPS on any website would affect search rankings. Once the search engines realize your site is safe and protects the customer’s information. The engines will award you by ranking your site higher, leading to more visitors. It also has a high impact on click-through rate, which indicates that you will get more sales and revenue.
It is easier to notice all HTTPS-protected websites by looking at their URLs. They have a padlock at the beginning of each URL.
3. It removes the browsers warnings
When search engines insisted on having SSL installed on each website, if your website missed an SSL, the users got notifications alerting them of not visiting the website. It may have security concerns and if they would risk visiting it. It is common on Chrome and Mozilla browsers. Once the users saw this, they avoided visiting your website, leading to losing visitors and creating a bad impression with search engines.
Having an SSL will make browsers stop showing such notifications to your users and customers. It will indicate you treat security as a serious issue, and many customers will visit your platform leading to more sales and conversions.
4. It ensures legal compliance
There are several data regulations, i.e., General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), where you must prove that you protect your user’s data. If you fail to comply, you are fined, which will make you lose the trust of your customers, leading to low sales or conversions.
Compliance with the laws shows how important you treat their data, especially sensitive information. Installing an SSL is one way of proving that you care for the customer’s security.
5. It enables your brand to grow
Once your customers have enough trust in your website, either with their personal or transactional information, they will keep buying and visiting your website, making it grow. Having an SSL shows your view on privacy and security, which many consumers like, and every time you conduct any marketing campaigns, they will keep promoting you.
Companies who work with partners will get more of them due to secure websites. Partners mainly corporate with companies with a better customer security model. If you miss the certificate, there are higher chances of missing business partners.
Conclusion
If you are a site owner, ensure you have an SSL installed. It increases your site revenue by ranking you higher on search engines and improving customer trust, giving you a better brand reputation. It will also protect your website and customers’ assets, like sensitive information, from cyber criminals with other plans of getting unauthorized access to your data. It also helps site owners to achieve their digital marketing plans.
