You can’t win business without earning someone’s trust. Search engines and web browsers understand this concept well and require websites to 1) have valid security credentials, 2) comply with local rules and regulations, such as those in the United States, and 3) honor data privacy. If you don’t comply, your website traffic will decrease because:
- Browsers make it easy for customers to spot insecure sites by showing the dreaded “This site is not secure” screen. This screen forces customers to consent to potentially exposing their data to bad actors.
- You’ll also find browsers displaying “Dangerous Site” for the worst offending websites.
- Search engines penalize invalid security credentials in search results by lowering your rank on search engine results pages.
Long story short, you must rely on a good web design and development team to take those extra steps to install a valid SSL certificate on your server correctly.
Whether you’re managing your own site or having someone else do it, check out how to secure your website the right way below.
The Best Way to Secure Your Website is the Automated Way
Don’t implement security manually; it is more error-prone, tedious, and redundant. It shouldn’t even be considered for modern sites! A good web design team avoids this obsolete option 100% of the time.
Your best option is the automated way. Automated certificates can be obtained with plugins and software installed on your website instance with a few clicks. They are quicker, more reliable, and can be managed by non-technical people (I’m looking at you, marketers)! Additionally, these security solutions are usually supported by a large community, making it easier and more streamlined to find help when needed.
Since SSL certificates have expiration dates, make sure the solution also automates the renewal process. Therefore, have your web developer set up a cron job or use a service that auto-renews SSL certificates, such as AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) or GoDaddy.
You’ve Got Options to Get Security Right
Depending on your tech stack, you may use Let’s Encrypt to secure your domain and subdomains. Let’s Encrypt is an open-source SSL certificate manager that is supported on nearly every WordPress instance. Your hosting provider may also provide an SSL certificate license that you can integrate with your website, but it usually comes at a cost.
Keep in mind that working with an SSL certificate, the easy part is installing it. The hard part is knowing how their installation impacts your digital infrastructure. Sites using a customer relationship management (CRM) and a content management system (CMS) may require a protocol that isn’t available with your SSL provider. This can cause your CRM, CMS, and website to break in functionality or even crash!
Shortening the Security Gap
When figuring out what’s best for your website, you could spend days learning the hard way, experiencing a downed website, customers complaining, and/or lost business. Or you can consult with website security experts like Uplancer to secure your site. No matter your chosen tech stack, we can secure it.
The Bottom Line
Security is always a priority for every website. It can make or break your brand’s first impression with customers. Whether you secure your site manually (a bad idea) or automatically, you must implement a solution that not only works with your chosen tech but also lasts. Remember, security is not a one-size-fits-all approach, so be mindful of its impact on your CRM, CMS, and other third-party services.
Need help with your website security? Connect with Uplancer today to help secure your website the right way.
