SSL: Do I need it for my website?
The topic of SSL has been thrown around here at Spark Rack lately and I think it’s time we address it here for all to see.
Recently a customer came to us asking about securing his website with SSL. We were extremely confused since the customer does not use his website to sell products..
But what is SSL?
SSL or Secure Socket Layer is a form of encryption that obfuscates or renders data during transmission between two points.
So therein is the question, does a general web site owner need SSL. The short answer is No. SSL is expensive, difficult to maintain, and unless you know what you are doing and NEED it, provides no positive perks to having a website. SSL is mostly used in eCommerce, selling goods and services online.
Recently Google Chrome added a “Secure/Not Secure” feature to it’s web browser. When you visit a website that does not use SSL, it plainly says “Not Secure” next to the address bar.
As a techie myself, I think this was a poor decision on Google’s part, adding an already terrified user based, to an even more terrified user group. But I digress. We’re discussing SSL.
Now that gets us back to the original point. As a website owner, do you need SSL.
Generally the answer will be no. Unless you are selling something or taking donations DIRECTLY from your website, not using a service like PayPal Donations, which already has SSL in place to protect you and your visitors.
Here’s a summary:
- SSL is expensive (no matter how good of a deal you got).
- SSL is also difficult to maintain and retain.
- Not all websites you visit that say “Not Secure” are actually dangerous. Do your research.
- If you absolutely feel you HAVE to have SSL. Talk with our support staff, we’ll walk you through it if your server supports it.
- Google released information on WHY this is happening. I suggest you read it. Then bookmark it. It’s important to stay up with developer notes from browser developers. https://developers.google.com/web/updates/2016/10/avoid-not-secure-warn
Thank you for reading.
Note: This blog post is not “aimed” at any one person, or group of people in particular. SparkRack.com and it’s hosting services full support SSL where available.
