Digital Birdhouse
Whenever you visit a site, you will see either “HTTP” or “HTTPS” right at the start of the URL in the address bar. They are both acronyms, and the first four letters stand for “hypertext transfer protocol.” They are there to let you know which protocol the site you’re visiting uses to transfer data over a network. While the acronyms are just one letter apart, that one letter makes a world of difference. Read on to learn more about why having HTTPS on your website is so important, and how SSL certificates make it all possible.
Why HTTP Alone Doesn’t Cut It
If a site only uses HTTP, it is essentially defenseless. In fact, if you visit a site that uses this protocol, many internet browsers will warn you that the site is Not Secure and may be affected by malware. This is because it does not encrypt incoming traffic, and does not provide a secure method of masking users’ passwords and other sensitive data, like credit card information or personal information. That is why it is never a good idea to make a purchase on an eCommerce site that uses HTTP rather than HTTPS. Additionally, search engines like Google punish websites that use HTTP by pushing them further down the rankings, making it harder for them to show up in organic search and accrue large amounts of traffic.
SSL Certificates: What Makes HTTPS Possible
The main difference between HTTP and HTTPS is that the latter is secured with an SSL certificate (the “S” in HTTPS stands for “secure”). SSL stands for secure sockets layer, a technology that secures an internet connection by encrypting data transferred between internet browsers, like Google Chrome and Safari, and websites, like raptordigitalmarketing.com.
When you visit a website, SSL certificates establish an encrypted connection between the website you are visiting and your browser. The website shares its public key with the browser, and uses it to encrypt data being transferred.
After what is known as an SSL handshake, where the browser and website exchange validation, they have a key exchange. The private key is then exchanged, and used to decrypt data, establishing a secure connection for as long as the user stays connected to the site.
While this all might sound a bit technical, what it really boils down to is that HTTPS keeps your website safe and your users’ data secure. Without it, both your website and your users are in serious risk of becoming easy prey for malicious actors.
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