A customer opens your website, starts typing their phone number into the booking form, and the browser says "Not secure". Many people stop right there. The fix is an SSL certificate, and today it costs nothing.
What SSL and https actually do
When a site uses https, the connection between the visitor's device and the server is encrypted. Anyone on the same public Wi-Fi, in a cafe or a hotel, cannot see what is being sent. The padlock in the address bar shows that the certificate is valid and belongs to the domain.
Why it matters for a business
- Trust. "Not secure" next to your name looks careless.
- Forms. People hesitate to leave contact details on unprotected pages.
- Search. Google prefers https pages and Chrome highlights pages without it.
- Integrations. Many payment providers, maps and other services require https.
Common problems we see in Armenia
| Problem | What the visitor sees | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate expired | Full-screen warning | Set up automatic renewal |
| www not covered | Warning on www.yourbusiness.am only | Include both versions in the certificate |
| Mixed content | Padlock with a warning | Load all images and scripts over https |
| No redirect from http | Two versions of the site | Redirect all http traffic to https |
The www problem is surprisingly common. Someone types "www." out of habit and gets a scary page, while the version without www works fine.
How we set it up
On every site we launch:
- A free certificate that covers the domain and www.
- Automatic renewal, so it never silently expires.
- A redirect from http and from www to the one main address.
- A check that every resource on the page loads over https.
It is part of normal website development, not an extra.
Does it slow the site down?
No. Modern servers handle encryption with almost no overhead, and https enables faster protocols in many cases.
What about payment security?
SSL protects the connection; it does not by itself make a site a payment processor. Card data for online payments should go through a payment provider's secure page or widget, not through your own server. When we add online payments, we connect a provider that handles the card data.
Quick self-check
- Open your site with https:// and with www. Does it load without warnings?
- Open it with http:// Does it switch to https automatically?
- Click the padlock. When does the certificate expire?
If any answer is wrong, it is a quick fix.
Next step
Send us your site address via the request form or on Telegram at @kinto_am and we will check the certificate setup. We reply within 15 minutes between 10:00 and 20:00. Our support package ($900 for 6 months) includes certificate monitoring; see pricing.
Updated: 2026-10-12