When purchasing web hosting for a blog or an e-commerce website in addition to things like storage space bandwidth, and other options offered is an SSL certificate. You are probably wondering what it is and do I really need it for my money-making blog.

What is an SSL certificate?

SSL stands for Secure Socket Layer and it is a digital certificate that is installed on the webserver. Once installed it allows for a safe and secure connection and exchange of data between the server and the visitors and also activates protocol HTTPS. It is somewhat of a necessity for all serious bloggers because it shows that you care for the security and privacy of your blog visitors.

Why do you need an SSL certificate?

All blog owners that are at least a bit serious about creating and running a successful blogs must consider SSL certificate for their websites of portfolio of websites. This is even more important for your blog or website if your intention is to sell a product you have created and need to accept payment from visitors. There are a number of other reasons or advantages why you should seriously consider an SSL certificate for your WordPress blog. Here are some of them:

SSL certificate protects data

SSL certificate is important for every blog and e-commerce website. SSL certificate will protect the personal and sensitive information of your readers or clients. Your blog visitors and your potential clients if you are selling on your blog are normally concerned about their privacy and their financial information and their security. They do not want to risk their sensitive data to be stolen and abused.

If you have not installed an SSL certificate on your blog then the information such as passwords, credit card numbers, etc. will be in danger of being compromised. This will result in visitor and clients avoiding to purchase what you sell from your blog or interacting in any other way.

SSL certificate is available to WordPress powered websites and blogs

Many web hosting companies offer SSL certificates along with WordPress hosting so you can create a highly customizable blog using various plugins as well as making it secure for your visitors. WordPress is a great platform, easy to use, and highly customizable but it has certain vulnerabilities, the reason more why you should be sure to have an SSL certificate.

After installing the SSL certificate all data exchanged between the server and visitor is encrypted. After data is sent it is encrypted and can only be decrypted by the recipient which makes the entire process secure. As it was mentioned previously many web hosting providers offer SSL certificate for free but if they for some reason don’t, then you should spend extra money to get one.

SSL provides authenticity to your website

This is another situation that demonstrates the importance of having an SSL certificate. Many people have lost money through fake websites thinking they are visiting genuine websites and online stores and providing the necessary payment information such as credit card numbers or Paypal passwords. More savvy online shoppers now are more careful and one of the things they do first is check if the website has an SSL certificate.

If your website has an SSL certificate that will confirm your website authenticity and give your customers and readers peace of mind. This will increase their trust and encourage them to return again in the future. On the other hand if you don’t have an SSL certificate they will simply navigate to other websites to meet their needs and will not come back again. Yes, it is that easy to lose visitors that could potentially in the future turn into regular visitors and even customers.

SSL certificate enables your site to avoid warning that the connection is not private

Have you ever surfed the internet and come across this:

Chances are you probably have and did you proceed to the destination? You probably did not. And that is what will happen to your visitors unless you have an SSL certificate. Once they see this warning they will never come back and stay away from your website. This will cost you weeks even months of hard work in creating content, promotion etc for no traffic and no return on your hard work and investment.

SSL certificate helps with the SEO of your blog or website

This is another benefit of having an SSL certificate for your blog. If your blog has an SSL certificate then you can expect that it will rank better than other similar websites without SSL. This is not to say that simply SSL certificate is a trick that will simply or magically launch to the first place in search engine rankings but that it is a positive detail of the overall SEO or your WordPress blog. And as a result of better SEO, more traffic, and more money from your blog.

SSL is a requirement if your intention is to accept payment on your blog

Many blogs are created with the main objective in mind to make money for their owners. One of the ways the blogs are websites are monetized is by selling products, most of the time info products like courses or ebooks. Blogs are used to both promote this products but also enable visitors to buy them directly on the site through popular payment methods like PayPal, credit cards etc. If your plan is to monetize your blog by selling your products or accepting donations then having an SSL certificate is something you must have. Alongside increasing the trust of your clients, PCI (Payment Card Industry) has a number of requirements, and an SSL certificate is one of them.

Conclusion

In case you are still wondering if you should get an SSL certificate for your blog then it is clear that because of man benefits it has SSL is good to have it. It is best to invest in one if you don’t have because not having one can cause you many problems down the line as you work hard to create and grow your blog. Furthermore, many web hosting companies will offer free SSL with their packages which is a reason more you ned to take in consideration when choosing web hosting plan for your site.