The StyleSheet - For businesses that use the internet

Earn Trust With Extended Validation SSL

Posted August 19, 2008 By Mike Wisian |

If your business does e-commerce, you probably have a secure socket layer (SSL) certificate. SSL helps protect personal data sent over the Internet through encryption. Internet users have been trained to look for the little lock that appears on their browser before starting any online checkout. However, due to the high number of phishing scams on the Web, just having an SSL certificate may no longer be enough.

In an effort to steal your data, phishing artists are now setting up SSL certificates for their bogus sites to make the user feel like they can be trusted. To counter this, the Certificate Authority (CA) has created the Extended Validation SSL, or EV. Before a company is allowed an EV SSL certificate, it must first pass an audit that ensures its validity. Once approved, when users are on a site protected by EV, modern browsers will show a green bar with the company’s name so that users know that the SSL certificate issued matches the site they are on. Users can feel safe pressing that checkout button. It’s like the Abe Lincoln of SSLs!

Many companies that use EV SSL certificates report an increase in conversions and registration rates, and a drop in abandoned carts [1]. Peace of mind does come at a price: an EV SSL certificate can cost as much as three times that of a standard SSL certificate. However, if your abandonment rate is high, you may want to consider hiring EV, the trusty checkout attendant.

[1] http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/marketwire/0419324.htm

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