Browsers now flag any site without a valid SSL certificate as “Not Secure” — a warning that drives visitors away before they see your content, and a signal search engines factor into ranking. Vandulo installs and configures SSL on every site we build, along with the baseline security hardening a modern site needs.
What’s Included:
An SSL certificate (technically TLS, the modern version of the protocol) encrypts the connection between your website and each visitor’s browser. That encryption protects information people enter on your site, such as contact forms, login details, and payment information, from being intercepted. It also verifies that visitors are connected to your real website, not an impostor. You can see SSL at work when a site’s address starts with https:// rather than http://.
Today, SSL is not optional for any business website. Major browsers label sites without HTTPS as “Not Secure,” which immediately undermines trust and causes many visitors to leave. Google has used HTTPS as a ranking signal for years, and many modern browser features and integrations require a secure connection. Even if your site doesn’t take payments, every contact form, newsletter sign-up, and chatbot conversation deserves protection.
SSL protects data in transit, but it doesn’t stop attackers from exploiting weak passwords, outdated software, or vulnerable plugins. Small business websites are frequent targets because attacks are largely automated: bots constantly scan the internet for known vulnerabilities, regardless of a site’s size. Our security hardening addresses the most common risks:
Login protection. Strong password policies, two-factor authentication for administrators, limits on login attempts, and protection against brute-force attacks.
Web application firewall. Firewall rules block malicious traffic, common attack patterns, and bad bots before they reach your site.
Software updates. Outdated content management systems, plugins, and themes are among the most common causes of hacked websites, especially on WordPress. Timely updates close known vulnerabilities.
Least-privilege access. Each user receives only the permissions they need, and old accounts from former employees or vendors are removed.
Secure configuration. We disable unnecessary features, protect sensitive files, set secure file permissions, and add security headers that help protect visitors.
Spam and bot protection. Forms are protected from spam submissions without frustrating real visitors.
Backups. Automated, off-site backups mean your site can be restored quickly if something goes wrong. Backups should be stored separately from the website itself and tested periodically.
Security is ongoing, not a one-time setup. Through our website maintenance plans, we provide uptime monitoring, malware scanning, file change detection, update management, and backup verification. If a site is compromised, speed matters: we isolate the problem, remove malicious code, restore clean files, close the vulnerability that allowed the attack, change credentials, and request removal from browser and search engine warning lists if the site was flagged. We also review what happened to prevent it from recurring.
If your website accepts payments, security standards are higher. We use established payment providers that handle card data securely, so sensitive payment information never touches your server, helping simplify PCI compliance. For sites that collect personal information through forms, we ensure data is transmitted securely, stored only as long as needed, and accessible only to authorized people. Our eCommerce development projects include these protections from the start.
Security affects how visitors perceive your business. Browser warnings, hacked pages, spam redirects, or a site that’s down because of an attack can damage your reputation quickly, and search engines may display warnings or temporarily remove a compromised site from results. A secure, well-maintained site protects your visitors, your rankings, and your brand. Combined with professional design from our website design and development team and reliable cloud hosting, it gives customers every reason to trust you.
If you notice any of these, contact us quickly. The sooner a compromise is addressed, the less damage it does to your visitors, reputation, and rankings.
We can review your site against this checklist and handle any gaps for you.
If we didn’t build your website, we can still secure it. A security audit reviews your SSL configuration, software versions, installed plugins and themes, user accounts, hosting environment, backups, firewall protection, and security headers. You receive a prioritized list of risks with clear explanations, and we can fix the issues directly. Audits are especially valuable before a marketing push, after a staff change, when taking over a site from another developer, or if your site hasn’t been updated in a while.
Website security extends to the accounts around it. If someone gains control of your domain registrar or DNS settings, they can redirect your website and email. If your domain lacks email authentication, scammers can send messages that appear to come from your business. We help lock down domain and DNS accounts with two-factor authentication and registrar locks, and configure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records so only authorized services can send email on your behalf, which also improves the deliverability of your own email marketing.
FAQ
Do I need SSL if my site doesn’t take payments?
Yes — SSL affects browser trust warnings and search rankings regardless of whether you process payments.
Can you add SSL to my existing website?
Yes, we can install and configure SSL on sites we didn’t originally build.
Is a free SSL certificate good enough?
For most small business websites, yes. Free certificates provide the same encryption strength as paid domain-validated certificates.
My site was hacked. Can you help?
Yes. We clean infected sites, close the vulnerability, restore from clean backups where possible, and put monitoring in place.
Does security slow down my website?
Properly configured security has minimal impact on speed, and some measures, like blocking bad bots, can actually reduce server load.
Related: Website Maintenance Plans · Website Design & Development