The purpose of SSL (secure socket layer) is to encrypt the data sent between the server (a website) and client (the end users browser). When an SSL certificate is installed on the server this ensures that sensitive data cannot be intercepted by a 3rd party like a hacker for example. Without SSL, all of the unencrypted data can be seen, captured and potentially used for criminal purposes. Websites that employ SSL can easily be identified in a browsers’ address bar which is usually denoted by a green lock icon or the word secure and the url will begin with https - (the s at the end means secure).
In the past it was really only e-commerce websites that would need to use SSL to protect user data like the collection of credit card details for example when making an online purchase. However over recent months Google have been pushing for a more secure internet regardless of whether your running and e-commerce website and as a result web browsers like Google Chrome for example are making it very obvious when a website is not implementing SSL by displaying an exclamation mark in the address bar, and this warning will soon become hard to overlook and eventually will be red, scary, and really off-putting which could send visitors away from your website. This should be of particularly concern if most of your competitors have already switched to using SSL.
Yes probably, but may only result in a minor boost to your websites’ position in search results but overall could improve click through rates when taking into account the address bar warnings mentioned above as visitors are more likely to click through to a website that is flagged as secure.
When implementing SSL on a website it may also introduce in an increase in page loading time (which is also a ranking signal used by Google) so there may be a need to consider optimising your website for page speed to counteract this. However implementing SSL on your website is probably going to be a good “future proofing” move.
For new websites it is best to install an SSL certificate on your webhost during the design phase so it is ready from the start. For established websites switching from http to https can be a bit more complicated but if the correct steps are taken it will ensure a seamless transition.
The main issue is that even though http://example.com and https://example.com both refer to the same website – search engines consider them to be 2 different websites and therefore all pages on the http version must be seamlessly redirected to the corresponding pages of the https version.
I have just recently implemented SSL on my own website, by paying attention to things like 301 redirects, social media links, backlinks and server side configuration to ensure that there is little impact on SEO or user experience. Some websites may experience a temporary drop in ranking after changing to https but should bounce back as strong as or stronger than before.
There are many places that offer SSL certificates and they do vary quite a lot in price, but you should check with your webhost first as some plans already come with SSL. There are different types and levels of SSL encryption - depending on your website(s) - for a basic small business website that dose not accept online payments, a standard 256bit SSL certificate should be fine. If you have purchased an SSL certificate - please check with your webhost for assistance in getting it setup correctly for your website.
