SSL is unheard of, but very important!
SSL is a system that encrypts internet communications and prevents the leakage of personal information. SSL measures are also important for improved security and SEO!
In this article, we will introduce the unfamiliar but very important SSL in three sections.
1. what is SSL
2.[Necessity] If you are not SSL-enabled…
3.[Easy] How to determine if you are SSL-enabled.
1. what is SSL
SSL is a mechanism for encrypting data sent and received over the internet. Encryption prevents the leakage of personal information and confidential information, and is also one of the information security measures to prevent identity theft.
Although it may sound difficult, it is a mechanism for “encrypting information to protect it when exchanging information on the internet”. The main types of information exchange that occur on the internet include ‘personal information entered in enquiry forms’, ‘login information’ and ‘credit card information’.
2.[Necessity] If you are not SSL-enabled…
The disadvantages of not being SSL-enabled may include
1.Leakage of information
2.Loss of opportunities caused by distrust of users
3.Decline in SEO (search rankings)
These are all disadvantages that companies want to avoid. This section explains why these disadvantages occur.
1.Leakage of information
As mentioned above, SSL refers to the encryption of information during transmission. Most of the time, personal information is entered in the enquiry form on a website, and if the form is not SSL-enabled, the personal information is transmitted over the internet as it is, which means that a malicious user can check and misuse this information as it is.
In addition, the ID/password you enter when logging in to the management screen of your website can also be extracted if your website is not SSL-compatible. If the login information to the management screen is extracted, it can also cause the information on the website to be tampered with.
2.Loss of opportunities caused by distrust of users
Websites that are not SSL-enabled will display a warning message due to browser specifications. For example, in the case of Google, the address bar at the top of the browser will show “Unprotected communication”. This is very likely to cause distrust and direct opportunity loss for the user. Anyone would reject the idea of entering personal or company information into a contact form on a website where information could be compromised.
3.Decline in SEO (search rankings)
For the above reasons, major search engines have announced that they will lower the search rankings of websites without SSL measures. Search engine operators want to display useful search results to users and gain their trust. In such a situation, they will lose the trust of users if they display websites with unprotected communication at the top of the list. This is a natural step for search engine management. For this reason, SSL measures are now mandatory.
3.[Easy] How to determine if you are SSL-enabled.
Then such an important SSL measure.
Does your website have one? It is very easy to find out.
How to check (i).
Does the URL of the website start with ‘https://’?
The URL of a website with SSL measures starts from ‘https://’.
Conversely, a website without SSL measures starts with “http://”.
This is a small difference, but this ‘s’ is very important.
Please check the URL of your website first.
How to check (2)
Is there a key mark?
This is a way of checking whether the aforementioned ‘unprotected communication’ message is displayed. Try accessing the homepage with a browser (e.g. Google). If there is no indication of “unprotected communication” in the address bar at the top and the key symbol is displayed, it is proof that the website is SSL-compatible. This can also be easily checked at a glance, so please try accessing the website.
How to check (iii)
Can you access “http://”?
Even if you have cleared check methods (1) and (2), you still cannot be too careful. If the URL of the homepage differs even slightly, it will be recognised as a different page. Therefore, there is a possibility that URLs that are not SSL-enabled can be accessed.
SSL-enabled: https://eeevo.asia/
Not SSL-enabled: https://eeevo.asia/
When a user accesses a URL that is not SSL-enabled, they are automatically redirected to the SSL-enabled site (https://). If this is done so, there is no problem of information leakage even if the user accidentally visits a site that is not SSL-enabled.
SUMMARY
Thank you for reading this far.
In this article, we have summarized the unfamiliar but very important SSL. We have summarized what SSL is.
However, in order to help companies that “don’t know how to actually implement SSL measures” or “have implemented SSL measures but don’t know what to improve”, we offer a “30-minute free website diagnosis” service. We will investigate the areas for improvement on your company’s website and explain them to you free of charge in a 30-minute online interview. Please feel free to reply if you wish.
If you would like to know more, we can also send you a free ‘Manual of steps and procedures for a successful website development’. If you would like to receive a copy, please use the email form below and fill in the form “I would like to receive a copy”.
A member of our team will send you the document later.
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