Not All SSL Certificates Are Created Equal

The importance of having a SSL certificate has been preached by Google, SEO experts and online marketing professionals over the last 6 years.

Unfortunately, the SSL certificate that you invested in may not be as good as you hoped. Here's why:

As of September 1, 2020, Safari, Chrome, and Firefox web browsers have stopped trusting SSL certificates with a validity period of over 398 days.This means that viewers that visit your website may get a "not secure / untrusted website, proceed with caution" message, which is usually reserved for websites that don't even have an SSL certificate.

What's an SSL Certificate?

Everyone with a website has probably heard about SSL certificates, but those who are new to owning/operating websites might not know. Here's what it actually is.

SSL Certificates are small data files that digitally bind a security key to an organization's details. Basically, it's the ‘s' in https, and it stands for secure. As the web began rapidly expanding, additional security was essential to protect the increasing number of people browsing and doing business on the web. Most major sites, especially those that have access to sensitive personal or financial data, use SSL certificates to give their customers the peace of mind that comes with knowing their data is secure.  

Why Does This Matter?
If your site doesn't have an SSL certificate, you will find it difficult to get traffic to your website, much less get visitors to enter their credit card information and personal details.

When a user visits a website, the major web browsers will let that user know that the site they're on isn't secure. Take the University of Florida's site, for example. Google Chrome (the browser in the below image) displays a clear ‘Not secure' message to any user that finds themself on a website without an SSL certificate with a validity period deemed safe. Due to UF's reputation and the thousands of people that use the site safely every day, Google Chrome's message may not influence people to leave the site.

This is not true of smaller businesses or websites that offer some form of ecommerce. Without a sterling reputation and proof of safety, many would-be customers will simply leave your site, trusting it is, indeed, not secure. Chrome tells them as much when they click to learn more.