How SSL affects SSL

What is SSL and why it affects website ranking?


You've probably seen that some URLs start with "http://", while other start with "https://". Https is usually part of your banks or your favorite web shops URL, right?


What does that “s” after http mean and why some websites have it while others don’t?


In this case “s” stands for Secure and it means that communication with that website is secured, i.e. safe. What stands behind https is technology called Secure Socket Layer, better known by its acronym SSL.


Who need SSL and why?


SSL is used for safe transfer of emails, files and any other form of information via internet.

SSL is a technology that provides encrypted connection between web server and web browser. Encrypted connection ensures that information exchanged between server and browser stay confidential.

That means that information transferred over the safe SSL connection can only be read by those who are supposed to read it, meaning that information is protected from hackers and other cyber criminals.

When you visit a website with SSL, your browser will connect with web server that hosts that website, it will check server's SSL certificate and continue communication through secured channel.

SSL certificate is a sort of a driver’s license or passport, containing information about website owner and the entity that issued that license. SSL certificates, just like personal identification documents, are issued by independent entities, called Certificate Authorities or CAs.


How do we know if website has SSL?

You can check it really simply, in 3 steps practically:

  1. Check if URL starts with "https://"
  2. Click on padlock icon
  3. Check if SSL certificate is still valid 

Click on padlock to see if website is safe

Aside from https://, safe websites have padlock icon next to the address.
Click on the padlock and you’ll see more details about the website and about CA that issued the certificate.

See SSL certificate details

Most of the browsers will warn you that certificate has expired before it sends you to that page, but some won’t. To make sure that website is safe, click on the padlock and read more information about the certificate.

In the new window, you’ll see Period of Validity. If certificate expired it means that there is no guarantee that the website is safe.



Is SSL good for SEO?


Oh, yes, it sure is! Although its primal function is to protect information, SSL is actually good for SEO.


HTTPS is a ranking signal for Google

User safety is a main priority of world’s most popular Search Engine, that is why Google uses https encryption for all its services. Google doesn’t stop there, but wants users to stay safe on all websites they access through Google.

To encourage more sites to adopt SSL protocol, 

We all know that higher rank means more traffic and more traffic means more business.


That’s why SSL has become part of Google’s ranking algorithm [1], but that’s not all. Google has a long-term plan for discouraging unencrypted web connections. In the years to come, they plan to warn Chrome users away from all sites served over unencrypted http.

Starting from February 2017. Google Chrome started marking http login pages as "not secure" in a window next to the address bar [2]. Eventually, they plan to label all http pages as non-secure, and change the HTTP security indicator to the red triangle, the sign that discourages most of visitor from the website.


How do you get HTTPS?


If you think you need https on your website, you should get SSL certificate.

There are few types of SSL certificates and there are more than a few Certificate Authorities (CA) that issue SSL certificates.


What should you know about CAs?


Not all CAs are the same. Each CA is a brand, and like with all brands, there are differences among them that affect the price of their certificate. The most important difference is their reputation and reliability of their certificates.


For example, Symantec is the most trusted CA in the world. 93% of the Fortune 500 and the world's 40 largest banks secure their website with Symantec SSL certificates. Symantec’s SSL certificates are unique in the market because of their additional security features. All Symantec SSL certificate include daily website malware scanning and some (every Extended Validation or Pro SSL) include vulnerability assessment, which helps you quickly identify and take action against the most exploitable weaknesses on your website.

Most trusted SSL certificates
SSL certificate types


There are three categories of SSL certificates: Domain Validation (DV), Organization Validation (OV) and Extended Validation (EV). The difference between SSL types is based on the level of identity authentication assured by a CA.

Which type of SSL certificate one needs depends on the purpose of the site.

Extended Validation or Green SSL is recommended SSL certificate for all websites, but especially for banks and online shops. EV triggers Web browsers to turn green in the address bar, and displays the organization’s name plus the name of the issuing CA. It offers more security and more online trust.

Organization Validation or Business SSL best suites websites that exchange less sensitive information, such as log-in. The address bar doesn’t turn green, but if you click on a padlock you can see the name of the organization that owns the site, so users can be assured that they are not on phishing site.

Domain Validation or Basic SSL is the simplest “good” SSL certification. If you need SSL certificate to protect your internal communication, DV SSL certificate is good enough. It displays padlock image in the browser and confirms that the domain is registered, and someone with administrative rights is aware of and approves the certificate request.



Where can you buy SSL certificate?


You can buy it here, on this website!

Buy SSL certificates on https://www.ssl.co.rs


We offer 3 SSL brands: Symantec, Thawte and GeoTrust.

If you are not sure which certificate best suites your needs, or you are not familiar with the enrollment procedure for SSL or code signing certificates, call our customer support.

If you encounter difficulty with CSR generation, or SSL certificate installation, our tech support is here to help - free of charge if you buy SSL certificate in our SSL shop!

[1] Source: Google Webmaster Central Blog http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.rs/2014/08/https-as-ranking-signal.html
[2] Source: Google Webmaster Central Blog https://security.googleblog.com/2016/09/moving-towards-more-secure-web.html