We’ve been doing a lot of website design testing for clients recently and we’ve noticed a trend.  No, it’s not a design trend or one that relates to creating wonderful design experiences.  It was for e-commerce sites and they didn’t have website data security enabled for the customer.  NO https security.  NO notice that this page is secure in the browser.  And YES, they were asking customers for money online.  This destroys the credibility of even the best design.  Why?

Because one of the major must-haves in the online world for consumers is security.  A consumer needs to feel safe, secure and private when it comes to their interactions with your brand.  Without that, all the greatest website design work in the world won’t stop them from defecting to your competition.  So, what can you do?

Secure Your Website Data with SSL

The threat of losing valuable website data in this day and age is tremendous, so companies are paying thousands every year in order to combat themselves from it. Hackers are highly intelligent and can quickly write new programs to hack into your databases and either steal or corrupt your data. This is why it is important to shield your company in every way possible.

What is an SSL Certificate?

SSL is an acronym for Secure Sockets Layer and its aim is to provide a secure platform through which private website data, such as banking details can be transferred online. Without this, an experienced hacker could intercept payment and card information between your website and the vendor and this information can be used for their personal gain. To check if a website has an SLL certificate, check out the URL bar for a golden padlock icon, sometimes this image also shows in the bottom right hand corner of the webpage. Websites secured by SLL encryption will also have a web URL beginning with “https”, rather than the usual “http”, the “s”, standing for “secure”.

Why is Protecting Your Website Data Important to Your Customers?

It is important to protect your website data from a customer’s point of view not only because they can see that their card details will be protected if they make a transaction with you, but also for proof of legitimacy. If a potential customer can see that you have an SSL certificate, they will be more inclined to continue into the payment process and to make a secure purchase.

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