![\"cms](\"https:\/\/www.rapidsslonline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/blog.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nCMS sites are constantly the target of hacking<\/h3>\n
Content Management Systems or CMS, are one of the most popular methods for running a website. And of CMS sites, 75% are on the platforms WordPress, Joomla, Magento, or Drupal. You might think these companies would offer some sort of security given their size and prevalence\u2014you would be wrong. In fact, these websites are open source and free to use, making them prime targets for cyber criminals. It\u2019s not even that hard to hack a CMS site in most cases, given that they\u2019re open source and largely unsecured. That\u2019s why it\u2019s extremely important to have multiple security solutions protecting your CMS website\u2014SSL chief among them.<\/p>\n
Many believe the entire web should be encrypted<\/h3>\n
Chances are you\u2019ve heard of Edward Snowden. If you haven\u2019t, we\u2019ll skip the history lesson and simply say that his actions brought a newfound level of awareness to privacy on the internet. On the unsecured web, anyone can \u2013 for lack of a better way to put it \u2013 spy on you. They can see what information your computer is sending and receiving, which gives them insight into what you\u2019re looking at, who you\u2019re talking to and it might even give them some of your personal information. Because of this, a growing movement has emerged that wants to encrypt everything on the internet in order to protect the privacy of the individuals using it. It\u2019s a vocal group that, regardless of your website\u2019s purpose, you don\u2019t want to run afoul of.<\/p>\n
You\u2019ll need one if your website lets users log in<\/h3>\n
If your website features an option to allow users to log in, then it\u2019s absolutely essential that you have an SSL certificate. Think about it, how many usernames and passwords do you have? Do you have unique ones for each and every site you visit? Or are you like the vast majority of internet users and you reuse usernames and passwords at multiple sites? Chances are, you use that information in more places than one. Now think about this: many of your site\u2019s visitors are likely in the same boat? Without encryption you\u2019re asking them to send their username and password unsecured across the internet where it can be easily stolen. Without an SSL certificate, a cyber criminal could easily gain access to that information and then attempt to use it, not just at your site but at others\u2014like financial institutions or other e-commerce sites. That\u2019s a risk you can\u2019t afford to take.<\/p>\n
You\u2019ll need one if your website has email<\/h3>\n
Does your website have an email function? If it does then you really need to encrypt your site. In addition to the login details that are required to gain access to email \u2013 details that, as we just discussed, are incredibly sensitive \u2013 you also have the potential for a malicious third party to intercept entire emails if your mail server isn\u2019t encrypted. And simple SSL encryption isn\u2019t enough in this case, to truly secure an email server you\u2019ll need an e-mail signing certificate as well (think of it as a specialized email SSL). It may seem like a lot, but it\u2019s really essential. Can you imagine the dangers of allowing emails originating from your email server to be unsecured? Everything, from the content of the emails themselves down to personal information like names and phone numbers in an email\u2019s signature, would be at risk. As the late Johnny Cochran once said, \u201cif the data\u2019s at risk, you must encrypt.\u201d Actually, the real quote was about ill-fitting gloves and acquittal but you get the over-arching idea: if there\u2019s any potential risk of sensitive data being stolen, play it safe and encrypt it.<\/p>\n
You\u2019ll need one if you\u2019re collecting any kind of personal information<\/h3>\n
Even if you don\u2019t plan on letting users log in or having email functionality, if your site is accepting any kind of personal information at all\u2014you need to encrypt. Even something as seemingly innocuous as a comment sections can be a vulnerability if you\u2019re asking users to supply a name, an email address or any other kind of identifying information. All of your users\u2019 personal information needs to be considered sacred\u2014you have to protect all of it. You are not the arbiter of what is and is not important information. So, it\u2019s best to just cover yourself and encrypt if your website is taking any kind of personal information from its visitors. Depending on your needs there are some very inexpensive certificates that will help you to secure your site while setting your visitors\u2019 minds at ease.<\/p>\n
You\u2019ll DEFINITELY need one if you\u2019re running an E-commerce site<\/h3>\n
This will likely be the shortest section in this article. Do you plan on selling things online? If you do, then you absolutely must get an SSL certificate. To run an e-commerce business, you will require your customers to give you pertinent information like their name, their address, possibly a phone number and most definitely their payment information. All of this would be extremely harmful to said customer \u2013 as well as to your company\u2019s reputation \u2013 were it to be compromised. Don\u2019t let that happen, if you\u2019re running an e-commerce business\u2014get SSL.<\/p>\n
SSL Certificates inspire trust<\/h3>\n
Depending on the type of certificate you purchase, there are different trust indicators that will appear on your website. There are three types of certificate. Domain Validated (DV), which require you to simply prove ownership of your domain, are the most accessible and a great solution for non-e-commerce sites. Organization Validated (OV), which require you to authenticate your organization, are a solid intermediate choice. Both DV and OV come with a green HTTPS and padlock in your address bar. Then there is a third level, Extended Validation, which requires a more rigorous authentication process, that turns the whole address bar green and displays the organization\u2019s name. All of these symbols are instantly recognizable, synonymous with security and will inspire trust in your visitors.<\/p>\n
SSL Certificates show you care about your visitors\u2019 privacy<\/h3>\n
As we\u2019ve already covered, your users\u2019 personal information should be considered sacred. Chances are they certainly look at it that way. Nobody wants to have their information stolen and nobody will come to your website if they think there\u2019s a risk of that happening. That\u2019s why those trust indicators \u2013 HTTPS, the padlock and the green address bar \u2013 are so important. Not only do they inspire trust, they show your website\u2019s visitors that you care about keeping their information safe too. In fact, you care so much that you\u2019ve made an investment to protect their privacy and give them peace of mind.<\/p>\n
SSL Certificates improve conversions<\/h3>\n
It is statistically proven that SSL, particularly the Extended Validation level of SSL, improves the rate of conversions on your e-commerce site. The more a customer trusts you, the more they are willing to give you their business. Extended Validation SSL Certificates require your company to go through an extensive authentication process (don\u2019t let that scare you away, it\u2019s simple as long as you have your registration information up to date), but, in turn, it makes your visitors\u2019 address bar green and displays your organization\u2019s name in it. This proves to the user that not only is the communication with your site encrypted, but you are who you say you are and that has been verified by a trusted Certificate Authority (CA). This creates the highest possible level of consumer trust and significantly raises your conversion rate. If you\u2019re running an e-commerce business, that\u2019s one benefit of SSL that makes it less of a cost and more of an investment.<\/p>\n
SSL Certificates Can Show You\u2019re Credible<\/h3>\n
As we just discussed, SSL shows you\u2019re credible. All three levels show you\u2019ve made an investment in your users\u2019 privacy. But the OV and EV level of certificates \u2013 which requires the CA to vet your organization \u2013 demonstrate that you\u2019re willing to verify your identity. The importance of this cannot be understated. You wouldn\u2019t take a ride from a cab driver if they didn\u2019t have their information prominently displayed\u2014that shows you that the person behind the wheel is who they say they are (and that they\u2019re licensed). Why do you think doctors and lawyers hang their diplomas on the walls of their offices? Sure, because they\u2019re vain\u2014but also because of people like that reassurance. They like knowing that the person they\u2019re about to do business with is legitimate\u2014credible. SSL does that. Not only does it encrypt but it authenticates. And on the internet \u2013 and in your bottom line \u2013 that amounts to quite a bit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"