In recent years, the ease of building websites has expanded. Thanks to content management systems (CMS), like WordPress and Joomla, business owners are now webmasters. WordPress is the most popular CMS on the web. Millions of people use it to create their websites. WordPress is free to use and easy to set up. You can find tutorials online to help you get started. Joomla is a popular CMS used by smaller businesses.
Regarding your website security matters, website security can be a complex/ confusing topic in an ever-evolving landscape. Security service providers like Managed IT Services Joplin provide a clear framework for website owners seeking to mitigate risk and apply security principles to their web properties. 56% of all internet traffic is from automated sources such as hacking tools, scrapers and spammers, impersonators, and bots.
Whether you run a small business or enterprise, users expect a safe online experience using your business’ website or applications. This means they can trust that the information they are accessing is accurate and secure. Additionally, users should be able to access your website or application without worrying about their personal information being compromised. 55% of respondents gave themselves a grade of A or B in online safety, and some 70% incorrectly identified what a safe URL should look like for a website.
If your website isn’t secure yet, it definitely should be. Here’s why:
7 Reasons Why Your Website Should Be Secure
1. SSL Certificates help to ensure website security
When you get the message, ‘This website is not secure.’ Most users tend to close the respective browser tab on seeing this message. That’s because we all are looking forward to browsing safe websites.
HTTPS comes into the picture here. The S here implies that the website is equipped with an SSL Certificate. This means that the website is using a secure connection that will encrypt the data that is being sent between the website and the browser. This will help to protect your data from being accessed by anyone who may be trying to intercept it.
This certificate works as digital documentation that verifies the credentials, such as the certificate holder, their serial number, expiry date, and the certificate-issuing authority’s signature. A certificate is a form of identification, authentication, and verification.
2. It makes your website more attractive to search engines
To ensure safe browsing for the users, Google will improve the search engine ranking for the websites with SSL Certificate. HTTPS will be used as the SEO ranking parameter, which means that websites that use this protocol will be rewarded in the search engine rankings.
SSL certificates can help in making sure that all your sensitive data is protected. It is also important that your site is secured so that users feel more comfortable visiting it. So you must install an SSL certificate for your website if SEO is a significant concern for you.
3. Your customers will see you as a trustworthy brand
Trust of the customer is an essential factor of any business. If your customers cannot trust you, they will not visit your website or buy from you. One of the factors that can enhance your website traffic is showing your customers that you care for their security, and an SSL certificate is the best way to do so. An SSL certificate provides a secure connection between your website and visitors’ browsers, protecting them from potential online threats.
4. SSL certification improves the speed of the website
A good speed-loading website catches the attention of more people. Many people used to think there would be a slow website loading if they installed an SSL certificate. But in reality, the fact is that HTTPS makes your websites load a lot faster, thereby improving the website performance. However, installing an SSL certificate will help speed up your website’s loading time, especially if it is not already using HTTPS.
5. The user experience improves with the use of HTTPS websites
Website security is a big concern for most of our customers. Most of the time, your visitors would be apprehensive about protecting their personal information. If your website has an SSL Certificate, it eliminates this fear and improves user experience. An SSL certificate will decrease visitors’ anxiety about protecting their personal information.
6. It helps to protect the sensitive information
One of the best ways to secure your website is to use encryption. Encryption scrambles the data so that it is unreadable by anyone other than the intended recipient. This can help to protect your website’s sensitive information from being accessed by unauthorized individuals. An SSL certificate encrypts your data, preventing it from being seen or stolen by unauthorized individuals.
7. Increased Customer Confidence
Your customers have peace of mind that their information is safe when they connect to your website with a secure connection.
Conclusion
As a business owner and webmaster, you cannot merely set up a website and forget it. Although website creation is easier than ever, it does not change the fact that security maintenance is necessary. It is important to remember that any website is a target for hackers and cybercriminals. Maintaining security measures is the best way to prevent your website from being hacked. This means keeping your website up-to-date with the latest security patches, using strong passwords, and encrypting your files.
Always be proactive when it comes to protecting your company’s and customers’ data. Whether your site takes online payments or personal information, the data visitors enter into your site must land in the right hands. The company has put in place measures to ensure that the data is safe. For example, they use a secure server with a process for data entry.
Post courtesy: James Richards, CEO at Stronghold Data.
