Hi there.

Matt here, your resident e-commerce guru at Volusion.

Welcome to two minute Tuesdays where we give you

two minutes of e-commerce advice to bolster your online success.

Now when it comes to e-commerce, your SSL certificate

is just a fact of life.

So, to help you decide which option is best for you,

pay close attention because today I'm

going to walk you through five things

that you should know before buying an SSL certificate.

Now you may be asking, Matt, what is an SSL certificate

anyway?

Well, without getting too technical,

an SSL encrypts sensitive customer data,

including credit card numbers, as it

travels across the information superhighway.

Now this makes it much more difficult for cyber criminals

to access and compromise that data.

Keep in mind that you must have an SSL installed

on your online store in order to accept credit cards.

Secondly,

you'll want to know the difference between a dedicated

and a shared SSL.

Now a dedicated SSL is one that you fully own and comes

with a small annual charge.

Now the huge benefit of having a dedicated SSL

means that customers will check out directly on your domain

and carries a higher level of security.

A shared SSL however, often comes free of charge,

but it sends shoppers to a different domain

upon checking out.

As well, is it doesn't come with all of the security benefits

that you'll find with a dedicated SSL.

Next on our lists, choose the appropriate level

of encryption for your needs.

Now I'm going to make this one easy for you.

If you're accepting credit cards on your site,

your SSL certificate is required to have

a minimum 128-bit encryption.

Fourth, figure out whether or not a brand name matters.

Now, there a lot of providers out there including, SSL's

here from us at Volusion, but you

may want to pay a little extra cash for more well known SSL

providers like Symantec, GeoTrust, or Thawte.

And last but not least, familiarize yourself

with the installation process.

Upon making a purchase, figure out

what information is required from your business,

how long it takes to install the SSL,

and if it automatically renews, and where

do you need to go if you have questions.

Adding an SSL certificate to your online store

is proven to boost customer confidence and sales.

So, keep these five tips in mind as you

embark upon that journey, and you'll

have nothing to worry about.

Have any questions?

Feel free to drop me a line in the comments box below.

From me to you, happy selling.

[MUSIC PLAYING]