Support article
What is an SSL certificate?
A security or SSL certificate allows your website to communicate securely with your visitors.
A security or SSL certificate allows your website to communicate securely with your visitors.
What does this mean?
When you visit a website, a lot of information is transmitted between your computer and the page you’re visiting. That information travels over the networks and can do so in two ways:
- In plain text. Anyone can view the information, since it’s written in a human-readable language. Whenever you see http:// in front of a website’s URL, all of that website’s information is sent transparently, without protection. Anyone with access to the communication could read it without difficulty.
- Encrypted. Encryption hides the content of the communication from anyone who isn’t authorized to view the information. We know our website sends data encrypted when https:// appears before the URL; in this case, only a browser is permitted to view the information sent by the website.
The entire encryption process is automatic, fast, and requires no user intervention.
Adding a security certificate to your website is highly recommended, especially if your users send you personal and banking details. This way, your users know they’re protected, that you take their privacy seriously, and they won’t hesitate to carry out business transactions with you.