Before starting on the topic, we have to know why it is necessary to have SSL on our website.
What is SSL:
SSL (Secure Socket Layer) is the technology that lets our browser connect with a website from an encrypted link that means data transferring in between is secure because someone cannot tap in between to look at what is being transferred unless that someone has a private key (assume a password that lets your data to be decrypted) which is not possible as it is you who generate the key on your server while requesting for SSL and it is not transferred. It works on TLS (Transport Layer Security).
Why SSL:
As I described what SSL does, it is now clear that it encrypts the data that is being passed from browser to web server. And as a website owner, you will not want that data being sent to you by your consumer or customer to get tampered with or monitored by others.
SSL also provides some other benefits to your website:
- Performance: Implementing SSL lets your site able to make use of Http/2 which improves the page load time.
- Ranking: Search engines favor sites with HTTPS, thus it will give a boost to your search rankings.
- Security: We already discussed how it helps with security in the above points.
- Trust: When you open a website and see a green lock in the browser’s address bar, you instantly get a feeling of security and the customer starts trusting you.
Pre-requisites for implementing SSL:
- You will need a dedicated IP address and valid domain because SSL is only issued to a domain name.
- CSR (Certificate Signing Request) file which is generated from the server where the website is hosted. It is used to generate the private key for the SSL.
- Business validation documents depend upon the provider from which you are purchasing an SSL certificate.
Now we know what is SSL and why we should use it. Let’s move to another important question from where do we get it. There are many SSL certificate provider in the market, some of them are:
- Comodo SSL
- DigiCert
- GoDaddy
- RapidSSL
But all of the above are paid services. So, can we not get SSL for free? Yes, of course, you can get a free SSL certificate for your website.
Here are some free providers but not the least:
- HubSpot: It provides free SSL but only if your content is hosted on HubSpot’s CMS.
- Let’s Encrypt: This one is my favorite. It was created by Linux Foundation and this project is sponsored by many top tech companies. It is a non-profit certificate authority that uses the ACME server for validating the domain. It provides you an easy implementation of the certificate and has a validity of 3 months but there is also a provision for renewing it automatically without the pain of keep tracking it.
- SSL For Free: It is also a non-profit certificate authority and uses the ACME server for domain validation. It deletes private keys once the document is created.
- CloudFare: It is a CDN and security company that is known for its product that makes the website faster and secure.
Conclusion:
SSL certificates make your website secure and trustworthy. You do not need to burden yourself with the expenses of purchasing an SSL certificate. There are many providers in the market, explore them, and use the one that suits your server and domain best. But be cautious that free SSL providers work on a donation and have not the best support team. You have to configure them and sort out the issues mostly by yourself.
If you want any help regarding SSL or have any queries for your business, reach out to Dignitas Digital. As a leading digital agency in Delhi, we help online businesses outrank their competition and grow exponentially.