An SSL Certificate encrypts data (such as credit card details and login credentials) sent via online forms on your website. To put it in simple terms, an SSL Certificate is similar to having your letter sealed in an envelope before it is sent through the mail.
If a site has an SSL Certificate then the URL will begin with 'https:// 'instead of the standard 'http://', and a padlock will appear in the URL address bar.
The two most popular web browsers, Chrome and Firefox, recently introduced fairly intrusive notifications if a user attempts to log into a website that does not have an SSL Certificate installed. In the below you can see the warning messages each browser displays:
| Chrome (75% approx. of total global browser usage) If a visitor is on a login page where no SSL Certificate is installed, the below will be shown in the address bar:  If the 'Not secure' message is clicked then the following is displayed:  This message may well make your website visitors nervous, and could potentially put them off logging into your site altogether. |
| Firefox (15% approx. of total global browser usage) In Firefox, the message is even more obvious. Similar to Chrome, a prompt is shown in the URL bar:  If this is clicked the following message is displayed:  What is more intrusive though, is that when a user tries to type in the login form a popup appears:  As you can see, this warning is very difficult to ignore, and could really damage visitor's trust when attempting to log into your website. |
In addition to the browser notifications mentioned above, there are other benefits in installing an SSL Certificate. For instance, Google has recently stated that having an SSL Certificate will give your website a ranking boost on the search engine result pages too!
If Weblator host your website and you are interested in having an SSL Certificate installed then please get in contact.