When visitors to your website enter sensitive data such as a user name, a password or a credit card number, this information can easily be intercepted by hackers if it isnot encrypted. By encrypting the exchanges between your server and your visitors' computers, an SSL certificate reduces this vulnerability while at the same time indicating with a padlock symbol that your site is secure and authenticated by a recognised certification authority. The URL of an SSL encrypted website also starts with https instead of http, which shows visitors that your site is secure and supports online sales.