Should I get an SSL Cert for my Website
Posted by Ninja Space Content on Wednesday, February 26, 2020 Under: Domain Management
This is pretty important to consider when you are starting a website or a blog. If you're an e-commerce website or collecting proprietary and personal information directly through your website like your visitor's driver's license number, credit card information, etc., then an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) Certificate is mandatory to protect your visitors and customers. However, if you're creating a very informative website and not asking for any information from your user for a credit card transaction from your website, then I don't think you need to spend the extra $70 - $150 a year for it.
For example, if you're creating a website for your coffee shop that you're opening in Darlington, South Carolina, where you're going to be the only Alita's Coffee Shop in the whole town and just want to have a website that lists your hours, address, pictures of your coffee shop and your menu items, and you're not selling anything like a t-shirt and not collecting a credit card number or important payment information from the website via an online form or something like that, then you don't really need it.
It's been said to me by a Godaddy rep that Google's algorithm is factoring in whether a particular website has an SSL cert in their rankings. If your Alita's Coffee Shop is like one of 3 coffee shops in a particular area, I don't think you're going to be worried about rankings. Your website is going to show up on that first page when they google "Alita's Coffee Shop Darlington SC". Of course, you'll have to index it in the search engine first in order to ensure it's going to be properly indexed. But no, in this instance, I don't think you'll need an SSL certificate for Alita's Coffee Shop in Darlington, SC where you're listing information only. See how much this simple website costs to build without an SSL certificate.
I also want to note that important government websites, large corporations with websites and banking websites all have at least an SSL certificate (plus other security protection). If your website evolves into more than a simple and basic website, and you need to keep up with your competition in search rankings, then definitely consider getting one.
How about for a website that's integrating affiliate ads and they will eventually have to purchase with a credit card from an Amazon affiliate link, for example?
I can see where this gets confusing. If you have a blog or website that's only providing content and information and they are not inputting their credit card number and other credit card information, etc. directly on your website and all of that is on Amazon's secured website on an Amazon.com domain (not yours), then you still really don't need it. However, if you have the capital and generate enough money to spend on an SSL certificate, then totally go for it. However, when you're just starting out and haven't completed your content yet, then don't purchase it quite yet.
I also want to note that many affiliate programs do have strict rules when deciding to let you join their network. One of them could be that they would require you to have an SSL certificate in order for you to become their partner. If you feel that this particular affiliate program is that important to you and you'd need to have that SSL certificate to solidify that business relationship, then that is really up to you. I hope the sales from that particular affiliate company will make up for the cost of an SSL certificate every year.
What is the most cost-effective way to run an e-commerce website on a tight budget?
If you don't care about having a domain and just want to find a really cost-effective and convenient way to have an e-commerce site, you should totally look into Weebly. They offer you an e-commerce solution that is connected with SQUARE and this makes selling your merchandise online a lot easier. Meet Weebly’s New Suite of eCommerce Tools. It's a website, e-commerce and marketing solution, all in one. Their e-commerce links as default are secured with https.
Recommended Reads:
See all of my recommended domain and hosting companies to purchase your domain and find hosting solutions under the Domain and Hosting page.
Read about a free new SSL service that I've recently discovered after encountering an index problem!
For example, if you're creating a website for your coffee shop that you're opening in Darlington, South Carolina, where you're going to be the only Alita's Coffee Shop in the whole town and just want to have a website that lists your hours, address, pictures of your coffee shop and your menu items, and you're not selling anything like a t-shirt and not collecting a credit card number or important payment information from the website via an online form or something like that, then you don't really need it.
It's been said to me by a Godaddy rep that Google's algorithm is factoring in whether a particular website has an SSL cert in their rankings. If your Alita's Coffee Shop is like one of 3 coffee shops in a particular area, I don't think you're going to be worried about rankings. Your website is going to show up on that first page when they google "Alita's Coffee Shop Darlington SC". Of course, you'll have to index it in the search engine first in order to ensure it's going to be properly indexed. But no, in this instance, I don't think you'll need an SSL certificate for Alita's Coffee Shop in Darlington, SC where you're listing information only. See how much this simple website costs to build without an SSL certificate.
I also want to note that important government websites, large corporations with websites and banking websites all have at least an SSL certificate (plus other security protection). If your website evolves into more than a simple and basic website, and you need to keep up with your competition in search rankings, then definitely consider getting one.
How about for a website that's integrating affiliate ads and they will eventually have to purchase with a credit card from an Amazon affiliate link, for example?
I can see where this gets confusing. If you have a blog or website that's only providing content and information and they are not inputting their credit card number and other credit card information, etc. directly on your website and all of that is on Amazon's secured website on an Amazon.com domain (not yours), then you still really don't need it. However, if you have the capital and generate enough money to spend on an SSL certificate, then totally go for it. However, when you're just starting out and haven't completed your content yet, then don't purchase it quite yet.
I also want to note that many affiliate programs do have strict rules when deciding to let you join their network. One of them could be that they would require you to have an SSL certificate in order for you to become their partner. If you feel that this particular affiliate program is that important to you and you'd need to have that SSL certificate to solidify that business relationship, then that is really up to you. I hope the sales from that particular affiliate company will make up for the cost of an SSL certificate every year.
What is the most cost-effective way to run an e-commerce website on a tight budget?
If you don't care about having a domain and just want to find a really cost-effective and convenient way to have an e-commerce site, you should totally look into Weebly. They offer you an e-commerce solution that is connected with SQUARE and this makes selling your merchandise online a lot easier. Meet Weebly’s New Suite of eCommerce Tools. It's a website, e-commerce and marketing solution, all in one. Their e-commerce links as default are secured with https.
Recommended Reads:
See all of my recommended domain and hosting companies to purchase your domain and find hosting solutions under the Domain and Hosting page.
Read about a free new SSL service that I've recently discovered after encountering an index problem!
In : Domain Management
Tags: ssl certificate free secured server
I have been building simple websites on my own since 2008 and currently run several websites at the moment, including this one. I used to be an account manager for an affiliate/e-commerce company, helping affiliates grow their sales so I have some knowledge on the business side and client side of affiliate marketing. During the Covid-19 pandemic, I completed a JavaScript coding bootcamp and graduated in Dec 2020. I've been working as a contractor for a few software companies ever since.