An SSL certificate encrypts the data on your website, so hackers are unable to see it.

You can verify if a website has it as it shows itself as a small padlock and allows you to use HTTPS instead of just HTTP at the beginning of your website link address. This tells people browsing your website that its secure, so it’s safe to provide their information to you via the site.

How it works:

1. A browser attempts to connect to a web site secured with SSL
2. The server sends the browser a copy of its SSL certificate
3. The browser checks whether it trusts the SSL certificate
4. If it does the server sends back a digitally signed acknowledgement to start an SSL encrypted session.

If a business wants to gain more traffic and reduce bounce rates, then it will need an SSL certificate. It is worth considering that Google and other search engines will likely prioritise SSL websites as they are more trustworthy.