Ever come across an unsafe website?
An unsecured website contains a padlock with a warning triangle and indicates that the site may be unable to stop cybercriminals from using your data wrongly. If you further click on any field of that website, you are again shown a warning “This connection is not secure”.
Choosing a safe web hosting provider for your website is the utmost priority. When you purchase any hosting plan, make sure you check the availability of SSL/TLS certificates as a priority. You can also verify whether the host provides the best SSD hosting services for your website’s growth. Some provide HDD hosting services, while some provide SSD hosting services. To check more about HDD vs SSD hosting, click on the following.
When you access a website, your computer sends data to the site’s server. During this stage, your IP address, the browser you’re using, the webpages you’re visiting on the website, etc., data is sent to that server. Since this data transferred is in plain text, it can be seen by anyone watching your traffic.
Another person on the network can easily access this information if you’re using a public Wi-Fi network. Therefore, transferring sensitive data like passwords or credit card numbers through a secure connection is very necessary. A safe website begins with HTTPS, not with HTTP. The ‘S’ in the url refers to the website’s security.
Questioning, what is HTTPS?
Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure, or HTTPS, is the safest version of HTTP. HTTPS encrypts messages using an encryption protocol. Although it was once known as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), the protocol is now called Transport Layer Security (TLS).
An unconventional public-key system is used in this protocol to secure communication. This kind of security mechanism encrypts communications between the user and the server, eliminating the chances of data being stolen by any third party.
Why is HTTPS essential for your website?
HTTPS sends the user’s data to the server in an encrypted text. These texts are just next to impossible to read if they are somehow stolen or intercepted. Do they seem tough to understand?
If you want to make your website run faster and stay at the top of search engines without fear of security threats, getting HTTPS is essential. A website with an HTTPS url has more visitors than an HTTP site. It improves your conversion rates, customer trust, and overall website performance.
To help you understand better, see the below example.
Before encryption
In a site that uses HTTP, data travels between the user and the server without encryption in a plain text format. And any other person will be able to intercept the data.
Text without Encryption: “This is plain text!”After encryption
If a site uses HTTPS, data travels between the user and the server in an encrypted manner, meaning it occurs in completely nonsensical characters that are impossible to intercept.
Encrypted Text
ITMjDaaFf/Kn3bo3OfghBPDWs+9XCPk63Y+z0=xMiEgNveroyWBo6AfSHlNtL8N7IT0IRyiEhVpa6VnKyElgGyfkflYEwIXc1gU5X73xMsJormzzXlwOyrCTo safeguard your data, you need SSL/TLS certificates that guarantee the security of your website. SSL/TLS certificates, along with the security, contain two keys of encrypted data: a public key and a private key.
The public key encrypts the information given to the user’s side, while the private key decrypts the information for the server owner. Only the private key can encrypt the data sent, which means whatever sensitive information (bank details, credit card details, etc.) you fill in on the website can only be decrypted by the private key. The private key stays with the website owner.
Many hosting companies provide SSL/TLS certificates for free along with their hosting plans. You need to select a trustable and resourceful web host provider for your website. When you choose your host, check whether the web hosting company provides you with the essential resources.
Goggle promptly uses the HTTPS factor as a ranking point along with the website’s speed. If you want your website to have a safe and secure connection and gain the trust of your visitors, it is essential that you safeguard your website.
Google sends warning notifications to your website if you aren’t using SSL/TLS certificates, even if you have a genuine and trustable site. Hence the presence of HTTPS or usage of SSL/TLS becomes one of the needs of your online business.
I hope this article has cleared your doubts and you are aware of the importance of HTTPS in your website’s url.
Smooth functioning, building the trust of your site visitors, ad securing the top ranking position on the Google search engines are all done by HTTPS. Are you still waiting? Don’t waste even a second more if your website isn’t secured. Hurry up now!
Conclusion
Making your website secure is important; using the HTTPS protocol ensures that the data uploaded by your customers remain safe by your website, without any fear of cyber crimes. A secure website is recognized by its URL, that is, “https”.
