SSL Certificates & Your E-Commerce Site

UncategorizedTags: e-commerce, Miva Hosting, miva merchant, miva merchant 5.5, PA-DSS, PCI Compliance, SSL, SSL Certificates, WebNet Hosting

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) Certificates are a security protocol used across the Internet to prevent eavesdropping, interference, fraud, theft and forgery.  This security feature is generally used in the world of e-commerce when sites are processing vulnerable and private data such as credit card and billing information.  SSL uses cryptography to hide information by converting normal data into a sort of indecipherable gibberish of letters and numbers.

SSL has had a major impact on the world of e-commerce and online shopping by establishing a sense of trust between the consumer and the online business.  When you see a closed padlock in the address bar of your web browser, you can feel safe knowing that the site is secure, trustworthy and using a valid SSL Certificate.  In fact, in order to process credit card payments according to the PCI (Payment Card Industry) guidelines, a store must possess and use an SSL Certificate.  E-Commerce sites must be PCI compliant or they will face severe fines and could even be shutdown.

For online storeowners it is imperative to have an SSL Certificate to not only ensure your customers that your store is honorable but to protect your business as well.  Miva Merchant stores use SSL Certificates that are installed on the server to provide you with a secure shopping cart program so that you and your customers can feel safe.

WebNet Hosting provides a free, shared SSL Certificate on all of its Miva Hosting accounts while a dedicated Certificate can be purchased for an additional $150.  SSL Certificates are a necessary tool to have in order for your online store to be taken seriously in the e-commerce arena.