Is SSL certificates nescessary for ecommerce website?

Yes- its 100% mandatory to use SSL if customers are checking out on your site (entering credit card #).. However depending on your set up you may be able to have customers check out with Paypal or another provider and then an SSL cert is not necessary.

Regarding Adwords I think you are confused. Adwords and SSL are 2 different matters.

Yes, I plan to use Paypal as payment processor. What I mean about SSL is I am wondering if Google enforce any policy on adwords advertisers to use SSL certificate on their ecommerce website?

Yes, SSL Certificate is required for your E-commerce website.

As you said you wish to add your products on "Google Merchant". If you'll check Google Merchant payment policy "Payment and transaction processing, as well as processing of any personal information of the user (such as the address), must be secure (SSL-protected, with a valid SSL certificate).". That means your website must be secured with a valid SSL Certificate.

Your website is an E-commerce business where customer/user will do transactions and add their personal/sensitive information. To secure all the transaction and sensitive information you need an EV (Extended Validation) SSL Certificate.

EV SSL certificate is the #1 symbol of online trust. It turns your website URL address in to green address bar and display business name along with URL which increases user's trust and confidence.

Giant SSL certificate authorities such as Symantec, Comodo, GeoTrust are offering EV SSL Certificate.

Symantec's EV SSL certificate will cost high compared with Comodo and GeoTrust.

SSL - Secure Socket Layer is a security protocol to secure information transmitted a web browser and web server via an encrypted link. SSL certificates can help to protect online user's login credentials, banking details, email addresses and other confidential information with strong encryption.

Yes, SSL is required if your website dealing with user's private data. The Extended Validation (EV) SSL is an ideal solution for an E - commerce site where it gives the highest level of encryption.

If any ecommerce site uses a third party payment gateway like PayPal and they have installed an SSL Certificate, then you might not require an EV SSL certificate because this takes care of the private information safety issue since the page where the payment would be processed will be secure.

In that case, you have installed an Organization Validation (OV) SSL certificate for ecommerce website.

An EV SSL certificate issued by the trusted CA's like Symantec, Comodo, GeoTrust, GoDaddy and Thawte, etc. Also, many SSL resellers offer an EV SSL certificate at reasonable prices.

2 questions to guys who replied:

1. Why not go with free SSL certificate from? Google "Let's Encrypt"

2. Anyone used Amazon Payments and how hard it is to set up?

Cheers!

As others have mentioned, if you are using PayPal only, they are a off-site payment service provider and you DO NOT need an SSL.

Also, LABEShop is wrong. Google Shopping DOES NOT require an SSL to list products and neither does AdWords if you are using PayPal as the payment processor.

Finally, I agree with Oziboomer about the misinformation being spewed by so may so-called SEO experts about the need for making your entire website HTTPS (secure). Although Google has said that having a secure site is a "minor rankings boost affecting approximately 1% of all global searches," there is nothing indicating it has helped any sites rank better. You need to remember that many of these "SEO Gurus" make money doing things that may be too difficult for some people to do themselves. Some have no problem misleading people about the importance of SSL certificates in order to earn an easy buck for their "full secure site conversion services".

For the good business SSL is necessary on eCommerce website.

I think SSL is a must. Both in terms of security and trust.

An SSL cert is required to have a merchant account approved for any e-commerce business. No SSL cert, no credit card processing.

3rd party processors like Paypal do not require an SSL cert, as they have their own and the information is being passed through their gateway and not yours.

I don't think ecommerce sites need ssl but it won't hurt to have one. Sites with https seemed to be ranked higher than other sites.

I should also point out that if you are using a hosted shopping cart like 3DCart, BigCommerce or Shopify, they have a free shared SSL that you can use that works just fine for most people.

Yes,

It gives sense of security to buyers and sellers that their information wont be lost or mis-used.

Thanks