An SSL certificate is a kind of essential security measure that encrypts the data sent/receive over the connection between your website and the end-user, helping protect the data transfer between both of them. When it is installed on a Website, the prefix “https” appears in the browser’s web address bar.
While it’s not a mandatory requirement for a website, it’s best to practice it. Every WordPress website on a live server should use an SSL certificate. This improves your website’s security and protects data transferred on it from hackers stealing personal information from your website.
Here, I am going to share some more details on SSL for WordPress and why it’s crucial to have them.
It is a type of protocol that a website over HTTPS uses, and you can purchase it from any hosting provider. This confirms to your visitors that your domain is in your possession, and their connection with your website is encrypted.
On a website using an SSL Certificate, the prefix “https” appears in its URL instead of “http.” Your visitors can see a secure padlock symbol in their browser’s address bar. Certain types of certificates with a higher security level include the company name too beside the padlock.
Why Do You Need An SSL For Your WordPress Website?
If Your website needs access to cookies or any form that processes data transfer between users’ browser and your website, An SSL Certificate is necessary to protect the data transferred over the connection.
Since Every WordPress website requires access to cookies by default, Without https connection, it is vulnerable to multiple types of attacks like SQL Injection, XSS, CSRF, Authentication Bypass, unauthorized file upload, and others. If SSL is not installed on WordPress, your users’ Personal information can be stolen, and hackers can hijack your visitors’ browser connection, inject malware or gain access to their account.
This certificate not only protects both you and your visitors but also establishes trust between you and your customers that their data is safe with you.
That’s why Google announced that websites with SSL certificates would be given boosts in search engine rankings in 2014. In May of 2018, The European Union also instituted the General Data Protection Regulation. While this law doesn’t specifically mention the use of SSL, it does require that All websites sufficiently ensure the security and privacy of all their visitors from the European Union.
Even if an SSL certificate alone isn’t enough to ensure data security, it is a critical first step to ensure it.
Along with all these security benefits, when you buy it for your domain name, they come with a fixed warranty. The more expensive it is, the bigger the guarantee in terms of dollars they will pay if the encryption provided somehow fails and leads to monetary loss.
If your WordPress website has e-commerce functionalities where you accept payments from your customers, and somehow it leads to your customer’s credit card numbers being used fraudulently, you may be liable for their losses. If you have installed an SSL certificate on your website with a warranty in excess of the largest possible charge, You have an easy way to protect your business against this liability.
What If Your Site Has No Forms?
You may be reading this article so far and thinking about a site with no contact forms and payment functionality. You might think that such kind of website doesn’t need it. Well, You still need one as every WordPress site has at least one public form; the login form leads to a huge collection of forms; we call it the WordPress admin panel. WordPress has a lot of security measures in place, but they are based around nonces and cookies. Without HTTPS, you transmit that data insecurely with every post you edit or whenever you change a plugins settings.
Now a days, installing an SSL certificate for your website is easier than ever. Many hosts provide this service and most of them have it available free with their hosting plans, which is perfect for a blog, but you will want a certificate with a warranty for a business site. For less than $10, you can get plenty of coverage.
If you need any help while installing it on your WordPress website, you can check our SSL installation Service here.
