Free SSL

Little green locks: HTTPS can boost SEO and visitor trust More than four years ago, Google announced that they were starting to use HTTPS as a very lightweight ranking signal in their search algorithm. Today, Google’s ranking signal weight for websites with an SSL certificate is not published, but their strong commitment to a future of little green locks in the address bar of every website indicates the importance of taking this crucial step in website encryption now rather than later.

What is an SSL certificate, you ask? Good question. SSL certificates are small data files that digitally bind a cryptographic key to an organization’s details. When installed on a web server, they enable the padlock and HTTPS protocol (over port 443) and allow secure connections from a web server to a browser.

In other words, it encrypts the communication between your browser and the website you are visiting, ensuring that you (or your website visitors) are relatively protected from cyber attacks and other malicious online activities. You can identify the presence of this protocol by looking for HTTPS (or the little green padlock icon) in the address bar of your web browser.