Why you should have SSL

[Arantor]

So, SSL means the connection between a user's computer and your site is encrypted. Why does that matter?

1. Google, Bing etc. will all penalise you if you're not HTTPS. That alone should be motivation for anyone looking to build an audience.

2. It's not just about running a store or taking payment: if you are not using HTTPS, literally everyone on the network between a user and the server can see all the traffic, unencrypted. That means anyone in range of you while on wifi, that means anyone in range of you on cellular. That means everyone between the user and the server and the average jumps through 12-30 servers to get from user to server. That also means user logins are entirely harvestable by anyone on the same network, often the same datacentre. We know there are bots sat on the bigger VPS providers just scanning for traffic they can harvest. SSL deals with it.

3. SSL is available for free through Let's Encrypt. Set it and forget it, it automatically renews every 90 days without you having to do a thing. If your host doesn't offer it, they're very likely scamming you (or, you're on a VPS or better and likely have the tools to set it up yourself equally for free)

Incidentally, it's also a measure of protection (not entirely, but it's more than nothing) that the content wasn't tampered with along the way. SSL mostly meant the end of forum hosts injecting ads into your site's code without ability to do anything about it because the SSL prevented them from doing it.

We're coming up on 5 years of Google, makers of the most popular browser on earth, literally telling users that non-HTTPS site owners don't care enough about security to take basic precautions against hacking and tampering. I'm pretty sure this is going to become illegal in the EU before long for any site that accepts user logins from general users without HTTPS because it violates the data protection rules for protecting users.

There was a time it was acceptable to not worry too hard about HTTPS, but that was the old web. The new web is infinitely more frightening. Infinitely more rewarding too, but one must take proper precautions.

 

[Tracy]

In todays age of LetsEncrypt... ANYONE that doesn't utilize SSL is simply stupid.

 

[judel]

Wow, way to slam people just because they don't agree with you.

 

[Cedric]

Wow, way to slam people just because they don't agree with you.

I’m sure @Tracy didn’t mean it in an offensive way, but it’s true that having an SSL is the way to go. You will be penalized for not having one, sadly. It’s just the way technology works and internet changes over time.

 

[Arantor]

It's not even sad, running a site that accepts user logins without SSL, in this day and age, literally puts peoples' security at risk. *Especially* because most people are bad about password reuse.

 

[Tracy]

Wow, way to slam people just because they don't agree with you.

For performance, SEO, end user security and such, the failure to have SSL IS stupid (as a decision), especially when you consider that those benefits are available at no cost. It's like using concrete for swimming flippers... not a smart decision, and what is the opposite of smart decisions.... stupid ones.
Or should I say it's more to do with simply being lazy AND stupid?

BTW, you may want to fix the link in your sig or get a redirect in place.... it fails to respond.

 

[Tracy]

didn’t mean it in an offensive way,

I meant exactly that... when one considers the benefits SSL brings to a site, and the current cost of them... failure to use them is a stupid decision upon the part of the site provider.
And if that shoe fits.... then mayhap folks need to wear it. Any admin worth his salt wants to enhance the performance/SEO/security of their site... and failure to use SSL does just the opposite.

 

[Heatman]

I meant exactly that... when one considers the benefits SSL brings to a site, and the current cost of them... failure to use them is a stupid decision upon the part of the site provider.
And if that shoe fits.... then mayhap folks need to wear it. Any admin worth his salt wants to enhance the performance/SEO/security of their site... and failure to use SSL does just the opposite.

Personally, I won't even be on website without SSL. It's definitely not safe being on such a site because you're vulnerable to hackers and what have you. I cannot understand the reason why any sane webmaster wouldn't have SSL active on their website. It doesn't make sense to me at all.