SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer. An SSL certificate is a digital certificate that authenticates the identity of a website and encrypts information sent to the server.
Encryption is the process of scrambling data into an undecipherable format that can only be returned to a readable format with the proper decryption key.
A certificate establishes an online entity’s credentials when doing business on the Web. When an Internet user attempts to send confidential information to a Web server, the user’s browser accesses the server’s digital certificate and establishes a secure connection.
An SSL certificate contains the following information:
- The certificate holder’s name
- The certificate’s serial number and expiration date
- A copy of the certificate holder’s public key
- The digital signature of the certificate-issuing authority
Based on Google’s ranking recommendations, you should have an SSL cert, but there are more than 1 type of cert, so it is important to know what sort of business you are doing online before deciding on what you will need.