Is this website secure?

If you've ever asked yourself, "Is this website secure?" you're not alone. Consumers today want to know that the websites they use to conduct business, shop, and make payments are secure--and with good reason. Online security breaches can compromise valuable financial and personal information, making website security an important factor in a consumer's decision to use a particular site.

To assess the security of a website, there are several factors to consider. First and foremost is encryption technology. A secure website should use secure socket layer (SSL) technology to ensure that data travelling between your computer and the site cannot be intercepted by eavesdroppers. Look for a padlock icon in the address bar of your browser as a signal that SSL encryption is active; anything less is substandard security at best.

Checking who owns and operates the website you're considering is also important when assessing its security level; legitimate businesses tend to be more secure than unknown sites with unclear ownership or agendas. Also look for industry accreditations that signal compliance with industry-wide standards on contact information, payment handling services, and privacy policies. Most reputable global firms will have any necessary certificates or accreditations prominently displayed on their homepages or checkout pages.

In addition to visible indicators like TSA seals or PCI-DSS certificates, third-party reviews of websites can give invaluable insight into their security levels and how well they adhere to industry standards. Check for user reviews of the product or service on blogs and ratings sites--the more favorable reviews you see from users who have completed transactions safely through the site, the better its chances of being a safe choice for you as well.

Finally, if possible it's always best to try out a few features of the site before entering any sensitive personal data like credit card numbers or login credentials. Can you put items in a shopping cart? Can you create an account? All these things should work smoothly without any hiccups in order for your session to be deemed secure enough for sending out important personal information like payment details over it? Be suspicious if any items don't appear until after entering valid payment details; this could indicate bad software development processes that skimp on security protocols in favor of speed of delivery.

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