Gloucestershire website design company Mushroom Internet explore the security elements that are important when making an online purchase.

How Can You Tell?

An SSL certificate ensures the payment pages are securely encrypted against hackers and the company that owns the website and domain name have been checked by the issuing certificate provider. See the Comodo SSL Certificate in the bottom RH corner of this site – hold the mouse over it or click on it!

When proceeding to the payment pages you will see the beginning of the website address change from http://www. to https://www. The additional S denoting the Secure Socket Layer, a padlock may also appear at the end of the website address bar. Many browser types will go red or warn if its is not safe to proceed – but not always so be aware and check for yourself. The address changes for the NoRinse cart when the shopper decides to ‘check-out’ – you should always ensure it has changed before you enter any credit card details on ANY shopping website.

How Else Can You Tell?

Website owners can also purchase a certificate ‘badge’ to show they are secure and in our case also have insurance against hackers. There are many different companies offering various types of SSL certificates, such as VeriSign, Thawte and Comodo, our certificate  is widely used and very well-known (shown in the bottom RH corner), you can click on it to verify the owner’s details and visit the issuer’s site.

Additional Security

When online shopping it’s a good idea to check the contact page to ensure the company is real and traceable with a proper business address and contact number. If you’re not sure about who they are you can also telephone them to see how they answer the phone and you can also check their details and registered address on the CompaniesHouse website (assuming they are Limited). Try Googling their trading name and see if others have written anything negative about them.

Live Help

Live Help shows the company has invested in customer services and are available to answer your questions and respond to any problems you may have.