SSL certificates and the security of your website

Security plays a central role on the internet, both for you as the site owner and for your visitors. Every website built with NoraPix is therefore automatically delivered over a secure, encrypted HTTPS connection. In this article we explain what that means and why it matters so much.

What exactly is an SSL certificate?

An SSL certificate ensures that all data exchanged between a visitor browser and your website is encrypted. That prevents third parties from reading or tampering with this data. You can recognize a secure connection by the small padlock icon in the browser address bar, as well as by the address starting with https instead of just http.

Automatic setup with NoraPix

For your free subdomain, the SSL certificate is active from the very first second, you do not need to do anything. Once you connect your own domain to your website, a matching certificate is automatically issued for that domain as well. Right after connecting a domain this can take a brief moment, after which your own domain is fully secured too. Renewing the certificate, which is normally required on a regular basis, also happens automatically in the background without any action needed from you.

Why HTTPS matters so much

An encrypted connection does not just protect sensitive visitor data, for example when entering payment information in your shop, it is also a basic requirement for connecting many payment providers such as Stripe or PayPal. On top of that, a secure connection has a proven positive effect on your search engine ranking, since search engines now systematically rank unencrypted websites lower. Last but not least, the padlock icon simply builds trust with your visitors.

Other aspects of security

Beyond the encrypted connection, you should also contribute to the security of your website yourself, for example by using a strong, unique password for your account. You can read more about this in the article Changing your password and securing your account.