Website Security: Why is it Important?

If you are an avid, or even average, user of the internet, you may have run into the issue of clicking on a website that isn’t secure.  You’re happily scrolling away, checking out new websites, until you find a site that won’t let you see past the search engine results page (depending on your browser and browser settings), coming up with an error message that will most likely say, “This website is not secure”. 

What does this error message mean? Most likely, it means that a website has an outdated security protocol.  A website with which the scheme of the URL begins with “HTTP” is outdated and is vulnerable to security issues and hackers.  Worst case scenario, it means a site is completely compromised, and should not be visited. 

It may be obvious, but when someone is visiting your site, upon seeing it’s not secure, may be more inclined to leave the site and never return, as they do not trust the site anymore.  When it comes to auctions, people are entering their credit or debit card information, and want to be able to trust that that information is secure. 

Having a website that is not secure is clearly very bad for business, as the goal is to keep people on your site long enough to complete a sale or bid, which won’t be happening if no one makes it past the search engine results page. 

If you are running your own auction website, you will most likely want it to be secure, as this shows your website is trustworthy and safe for your visitors, keeping them coming back time and time again. 

If you are unsure about what website security means, don’t worry! Read on to learn the basics of website security, and what you should be doing to ensure your website is as secure as it can be.  

What is Website Security?

Website security is the foundation of a good, solid website.  Having a secure website proves trustworthiness to your visitors and prevents unwanted attacks to your site.  The most common foundation of a secure site is that the protocol “HTTPS” is enabled. 

“HTTPS” ensures that all traffic to and from the site is encrypted, so your data and your visitors’ data are more secure.  On the internet, you can tell a site has “HTTPS” enabled when you see that they have a little lock symbol next to their URL on the address bar.

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What is HTTPS?

It is an acronym for the phrase “hypertext transfer protocol secure”.  It is the secure, encrypted version of HTTP.  HTTP (hypertext transfer protocol) is essential to the function of the web, and is responsible for the processing, rendering, and delivering of webpages from the servers to the browser of the person searching the internet. 

When a person or a browser interacts with the HTTP, a request is being performed.  A request is what happens when you perform an action, such as a click, on a site.  It is before and after the click that security issues can happen if HTTPS is not enabled.  Attackers can intercept the request between the user and the server, manipulating the information, or tweaking the code, to change what the user sees. In a lot of cases, the user can gain knowledge of the user’s login information, thus gaining access to anything within their accounts, such as credit cards and personal information. 

Having HTTPS enabled means that the requests are encrypted, so anyone trying to snoop will be unable to plainly see what the user or the server is trying to do. 

Check your website security here, to see if you meet Google’s requirements!

How to Make a Secure Website

How do you enable HTTPS? The best way is to have an SSL (now called TLS) certificate installed.  SSL stands for “Secure Sockets Layer”.  SSL is the older version of this kind of security.  Now, most sites use what is called TLS, which stands for “Transport Layer Security”.  To clear up any confusion, SSL has become the catch-all term for this level of security, so sometimes TLS is still referred to as SSL.  

What Does an SSL or TLS Do?

What they do is ultimately create a form of a key that only the computer of the user who is performing the request, and the server that is reading that request, can understand.  If the only entities that can understand this are the user and the server, then it is essentially safe from attackers.  

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What Else Makes a Website Secure?

It is also very important to know that where you’re hosting your website is secure.  At Auctioneer Software, we utilize the largest, and most advanced data center in this side of the eastern US.  The Switch Data Center is top of the line when it comes to data hosting.  Check out their site to see the location we utilize!

Host with Auctioneer Software

Reliable and secure, Auctioneer Software is the right choice for all your website hosting needs.  There won’t be any lost connection during the crucial moments of an auction.  Contact us today to get started on your journey towards a more secure website!