What is an SSL Certificate?

An SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate is a digital certificate that encrypts data transmitted between a website and its visitors. When installed, it enables HTTPS (the secure version of HTTP) and displays a padlock icon in the browser address bar. This encryption protects sensitive information like passwords, credit card numbers, and personal details from being intercepted by hackers. SSL certificates also verify the identity of your website, confirming to visitors that they are on the legitimate site.

An SSL certificate is essential for several reasons: Security - it encrypts sensitive data like contact form submissions, login credentials, and payment information. Trust - visitors see the padlock icon and know your site is secure; sites without SSL show 'Not Secure' warnings that drive visitors away. SEO - Google uses HTTPS as a ranking factor, so SSL-secured sites may rank higher. Compliance - GDPR requires adequate security measures for handling personal data, and SSL is considered a basic requirement. Many modern features also require HTTPS to function properly.

HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) transmits data in plain text, meaning anyone intercepting the connection can read the information. HTTPS (HTTP Secure) uses SSL/TLS encryption to scramble the data, making it unreadable to anyone except the intended recipient. You can identify HTTPS sites by the padlock icon and 'https://' in the URL. All modern websites should use HTTPS - there is no good reason to use unencrypted HTTP in 2024.

SSL certificate costs in the UK vary by type: Free SSL certificates are available from Let's Encrypt and are included with most quality hosting providers. Domain Validated (DV) SSL costs £0-50/year and is suitable for most small business websites. Organisation Validated (OV) SSL costs £50-200/year and verifies your organisation's identity. Extended Validation (EV) SSL costs £100-500+/year and provides the highest level of verification. For most UK small businesses, a free Let's Encrypt certificate or basic DV certificate is perfectly adequate.

There are three main types of SSL certificates based on validation level: Domain Validated (DV) verifies only that you own the domain - quickest to obtain, suitable for most websites. Organisation Validated (OV) verifies your organisation's identity - shows company name in certificate details. Extended Validation (EV) provides the most thorough verification - historically showed the company name in the browser bar, though this is no longer displayed by most browsers. There are also wildcard certificates (secure unlimited subdomains) and multi-domain certificates (secure multiple domains with one certificate).

You can tell if a website has SSL by looking at the browser address bar. A secure site will show: A padlock icon (click it for certificate details), The URL starting with 'https://' rather than 'http://', No security warnings or 'Not Secure' messages. If you see 'Not Secure' or a warning triangle, the site either has no SSL certificate or has one that is expired or incorrectly configured.

When an SSL certificate expires, browsers will display scary warning messages telling visitors that your connection is not private or secure. Most visitors will immediately leave rather than proceed. This can devastate your traffic and sales. Search engines may also temporarily drop your rankings. Modern hosting and certificate providers usually auto-renew certificates, but it is important to monitor expiration dates and ensure your payment details are up to date.

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) and TLS (Transport Layer Security) are related but TLS is the newer, more secure successor to SSL. The term 'SSL certificate' is still commonly used even though modern implementations actually use TLS 1.2 or TLS 1.3. When you purchase or install an 'SSL certificate', you are actually using TLS encryption. The terms are often used interchangeably in practice.

There are several ways to get an SSL certificate: Through your web hosting provider - most quality hosts include free SSL certificates and install them automatically. Via Let's Encrypt - a free certificate authority that provides DV certificates at no cost. From a commercial certificate authority - companies like DigiCert, Sectigo, or Comodo sell paid certificates with additional features. Your web developer can set this up - we include SSL with all our hosting packages and configure it properly for you.

Modern SSL/TLS has minimal impact on website speed. The initial handshake adds a few milliseconds, but this is negligible for visitors. In fact, HTTPS enables HTTP/2, a newer protocol that can actually make your website faster through features like multiplexing and header compression. Any theoretical slowdown is far outweighed by the security benefits, SEO advantages, and the fact that browsers may throttle HTTP sites.