VISITOR REASSURANCE

When someone visits our web pages via HTTPS they now see a reassuring padlock in the address bar of their browser window.

Now, when customers sign in at our website they know that their confidential login details are encrypted and therefore protected from eavesdroppers.

SECURITY

When we in turn sign into our website's Joomla! CMS control panel to add and edit content,we know that our user credentials are protected by the encrypted connection.

The resulting HTTPS connection prevents so-called packet sniffers from harvesting user credentials.

Encryption makes like more challenging for the hacker!

IMPROVED SEO

Google has indicated that using an HTTPS address for a web page will have a positive impact on SEO performance.

You may have read or heard of instances when moving from HTTP to HTTPS has resulted in a short term detrimental effect on a website's performance in search engines, including Google.

We believe however that the potential adverse impact is likely to be temporary if you follow some basic steps to reduce the risk.

These are outlined on various websites.

We summarise them in our SEO User Guide and recommend additional steps that JOOMLERS should take.

AFFORDABILITY

Lets Encrypt SSL certificates are FREE and you can use a different one with each of your websites.

Commercial SSL certificates are available at low prices but you need one SSL for each domain.

Even running a small number of websites could cost you £00s per year if you choose to add a commercial SSL to each one.

We acknowledge the critics who point out that Lets Encrypt SSL certificates are domain validated i.e. can be added to a website by anyone, even the developer of a spoof website, without any external verification.

And agree that domain validated SSL certificates do not guarantee the trustworthiness of a website.

But they are affordable and do provide encrypted connectivity.

We recommend using a domain validated lets Encrypt SSL whilst you save up for a top drawer commercial one!

USABILITY

The recent support from the developers of the cPanel and Plesk Hosting Control Panels for Lets Encrypt SSL certificates has been an added bonus.

In the past it was usually necessary to ask for help from a hosting company's technical support staff when adding an SSL to your website.

Now you can do so at the touch of a button in your Hosting Control Panel.

We show you how in our WYNCHCO Hosting Guide.

This, for us, is a MUST HAVE feature when choosing a hosting company.