Is Your Website Secure? Ways To Make Your Website Safe June 21, 2018 JNTtek, membership 1154 Do you know if your company's website is secure? If your answer is no, go to a browser and type in your company's URL. If it starts with the letters HTTPS, then your website is secure. If it doesn't then please read on for important reasons why you need a secure website and what you need to do to make your website safe for your customers. Starting in July, Google Chrome will start alerting visitors that they are visiting an unsecure website. The words "Not Secure" will appear just before the URL in the browser. Visitors are far less likely to continue viewing a site once they see this warning. With stories of hacks and data breaches appearing regularly in the news, consumers are becoming more concerned about security and more protective of their data. What makes a website secure? A technology called SSL, or Secure Sockets Layer. What this does is it creates an encrypted connection between the browser and the web server where the website resides. This ensures that any data entered on a website cannot be seen by hackers. Adding SSL certificate to your website will go a long way towards gaining your visitors trust, letting them know that you value their security and want to keep their data safe. Another benefit to adding an SSL certificate is that it will give your website an additional boost in Google's search rankings. SSL is part of Google's search algorithm so enabling it on your website and across all of your content online can increase your search rankings and help your target customers find your company online. Finding the correct SSL for your website. There are a few different types of SSL certificates, and figuring out which one you need can be challenging. Each type requires different levels of verification and varies in cost. The list below indicates the different types of SSL certificates, ranked from least to most expensive. A Domain SSL certificate is verified by an email and adds a padlock icon next to your URL. It is confirmation that your business does in fact own the domain. An Organizational SSL certificate requires verification of company ownership. With this certificate, both the URL and company name will appear in the browser search field. An Extended Validation SSL Certificate verifies the company in more detail, including operational, legal & physical verification. Which one do you need for your company's website? JNT TEK has a web team ready to answer any questions you have about SSL and how to update your site to make it more secure. Please contact us for a free assessment of your website.