Question

Topic: E-Marketing

Verisign Ssl Certificate-order Conversion Results?

Posted by Anonymous on 8/21/2009 at 2:21 PM ET 250 Points
Our e-commerce site is currently hosted by the firm that developed the site. The site currently uses the SSL certificate of the development firm.

They offer a VeriSign “Secure Site” certificate as an option. Their price is the same as the VeriSign list price, $399 per year (discounts for addl years).

I would like to implement our own SSL certificate, and would like to also promote it on our website so people realize we are giving them a more secure checkout environment, and also so only my domain name is displayed at checkout.

Two questions:

1) If others have implemented their own SSL certificate similar to VeriSign, what have you seen for improvments in order conversion rates and/or shopping cart abandonment rates?

2) There are other VeriSign certficates with higher levels of encryption at significantly higher prices. Is there any real advantage to using those on a typical small business site? Is it worth the money? (Not sure we can justify the price at this time.)
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  • Posted by Inbox_Interactive on 8/21/2009 at 2:27 PM Accepted
    I am sorry that I can't specifically answer your question, but I'll tell you this from a shopper and someone who runs a few secure pages.

    Maybe I'm naive, but the only thing I really look for in entering credit card information is the "s" in the URL and possibly some sort of seal.

    I really don't think most people are so concerned with the actual level of encryption or the level of research that was done when the certificate was issued.

    I have bought SSL certificates from GoDaddy for $12.99 and gotten the certificate in three seconds. Basically, all they are doing is verifying that you own the domain for which the certificate is issued.

    For $12.99 and no wait, you're getting that magic "s" on the URL, and you're getting a "seal" that, when clicked, will give you *some* impression that there was some thought given to the verification process (that is, a "certificate" pops up).

    For the money, it sounds like a great place to start.
  • Posted by excellira on 8/23/2009 at 8:26 PM Accepted
    I do agree that with the exception of the Extended Validation (Green Bar) that there is likely little perceived difference between certs.

    Also, be aware that one of the most trusted names in the industry recently was found to be issuing certs with security holes. The were recommending that clients opt for a more secure cert.

    The truth is though is that the only way you will know for certain is to test them and see if there is a bump in conversion. Cost wasn't an issue for you so this may be a viable approach. Your sector will also have an influence. If you cater to IT, and web professionals, they will likely trust a more secure cert more.
  • Posted on 8/23/2009 at 8:29 PM Member
    I had exactly the same problem with my website: www.london24hrlocksmith.co.uk and still did not solve it...
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