When it comes to choosing the SSL Certificate that covers your needs best, it is very important to focus on how many users will access and use your website. When we say “users”, we don’t refer just to your occasional visitors, but to permanent customers. They will create accounts and use them in order to benefit from your products and services. They will determine the volume of your SSL traffic.

Therefore, you must ask yourself the following questions:

  • Do you plan on having a large number of users who will register and use your website?
  • Is it a website for personal finance management, and is user registration one of the main purposes of your business?
  • Or is it a website with social networking features where people share photos, videos, and other information?

If the answer to all three questions from above is “yes”, then you will have a high load website and busy SSL Traffic, which has very specific security needs, including an SSL Certificate that encrypts the data transfer between the users’ browsers and your servers. If you already launched a high load website without having an SSL Certificate, then you definitely need to get one.

Why is it important to have an SSL Certificate for a heavy-traffic website?

The answer is simple: To protect your customers’ data. When it comes to collecting private data such as passwords, background information, credit card details, phone numbers, street address, health records, social security numbers, and so on, it is absolutely necessary to protect your website with an SSL Certificate.

If you ask users to pay on your website, do financial transactions, or share their personal information, then you need an SSL Certificate that will secure all the areas of your website where users submit their data. An SSL Certificate will create a secure connection between your customers’ computers and your servers and will help your customers trust your website and your company.

For your customers, an SSL Certificate is the signal of a safe and secure website. Online security is your customer’s number one priority when they are about to enter their personal information on a website.

Do all SSL Certificates handle large volumes of traffic?

All SSL Certificates are capable of handling a large volume of traffic. However, Certificate Authorities are the ones that recommend certain certificates for specific projects. So there are SSL Certificates that are ideal for small and medium websites, SSL Certificates for eCommerce, and SSL Certificates which are made for banks and financial institutions. If the Certificate Authorities who create the SSL Certificates are putting these labels on their SSL Certificates, then it’s probably best to listen to what they say. So when you get your SSL Certificate, always look at its features and specification.

Also, you may think that an SSL Certificate which has a higher price – has a higher level of security and protects your website better. However, the price is not the factor that makes the difference when choosing the right SSL Certificate for a high load website.

Business Validation and Extended Validation SSL Certificates

In order to secure a website that handles large volumes of SSL traffic and customer data, it is always recommended to get a Business Validation SSL Certificate or an Extended Validation SSL Certificate. Usually, these two types of SSL Certificates are optimal for ecommerce websites, financial institutions, social networking websites, and other high load systems. Business Validation SSL Certificates and Extended Validation SSL Certificates offer the most advanced types of validation. Therefore, they are slightly more expensive than the simple Domain Validation SSL Certificates. This is why people usually think that the price is the key factor that determines the strength and quality of an SSL Certificate, but it is not. It is actually the type of validation that matters.

Business Validation SSL Certificates and Extended Validation SSL Certificates are the ones that certify that your website is safe to use, and it belongs to a legally registered company. These two types of SSL Certificates make your website trustworthy. The Extended Validation SSL Certificates represent the highest level of security and trust. On top of that, Extended Validation SSL Certificates have larger insurance warranties for your customers.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, if your website processes a lot of sensitive information, then you should get a Business Validation or an Extended Validation SSL Certificate. Both these SSL Certificate types will be able to handle large volumes of traffic. They will protect your users’ private information and will help customers trust your business. On top of that, they will bring your company an excellent reputation.