Should we have a secure site certificates on our website?

[countryg]

Hi everyone, would like some input and suggestions, thanks in advance

I have been wondering with how the internet is becoming do we need to have some sort of logo on our website to show it is a safe place to shop, that their information is not being used for other purposes, and so on

I have noticed some website have these ssl certificates, and some have privacy certificates. I know there is a cost involved and is it worth doing?

I think it is a good idea, but I currently don't have anything setup

Any suggestions on where to go to have this done and setup, so I can reassure my present and future customers that they are safe when shopping at my website..

Diane

[RobinInOR]

To take credit cards online, any customer would be foolish to do so unless they were on a https:// secure page. And that means you either need to buy a SSL certificate, or it could be your host that has your website and shopping cart has a shared secure link that you can use. Most hosts should have something for you if they support shopping card software.

When I started and use Mals e-card, that cart was hosted on their site and it automatically was secured - I didn't have to do anything extra. When I changed to an osCommerce site, I had to buy my own SSL certificate. As soon as you hit 'checkout' the site goes secure.

You can put your privacy policy on your information page along with your returns and other policies.