SSL overview

What is SSL?

SSL (which stands for Secure Sockets Layer) is a form of security technology used to ensure that the data passing between a web server and your internet browser remains private. It’s what gives a website the https:// prefix and lock icon in a browser window.

Does FareHarbor use SSL?

Since the beginning, we’ve made sure that all communication between you, your customers, and FareHarbor has been securely encrypted over SSL. When a customer makes a booking using our online checkout process, they will always see the “Securely encrypted” badge letting them know that their information is safe.

How do I know if my website has SSL?

When SSL is enabled on a website, the address starts with https:// and you’ll usually see a green or grey lock icon next to it.

Why use it?

We strongly encourage clients to add SSL to their websites. There are a few reasons for doing this:

• It increases customer trust. Many savvy customers know to look for the lock next to a website’s URL when entering personal information online. The Lightframe loads the FareHarbor booking process on top of your website, so although it is 100% secure, browsers won’t display the lock icon unless your website is securely encrypted. By adding SSL, customers will see the lock when making their booking, and know that their information is safe.

• Better search performance. Putting SSL on your site even has some SEO benefits, as Google’s future standards will rank sites served over SSL more highly, and you’ll be able to see the names of other https sites that linked to you in your analytics.

• It’s more secure! If the connection between your visitor and your website were to be compromised, attackers would still not have access to the information being entered or submitted through the Lightframe. (But a hacker could do things like direct your visitors to another fake checkout page.)

How do I get it?

SSL can usually be added by your web developer or through your hosting management for a minimal yearly fee. We recommend contacting your developer or website hosting company to see what options are available to you.

Troubleshooting

I have SSL but still don’t see the lock next to my website URL.

After adding SSL to your website, you’ll also need to make sure that you’re redirecting your site to HTTPS and loading all website assets (like images and links) over HTTPS as well. Learn more about redirecting to HTTPS.

Why are my customers being told their booking isn’t secure?

When creating a booking and filling out the payment form, customers using Chrome as their web browser may see the following message: “Automatic credit card filling is disabled because this form does not use a secure connection.”

This is because the browser is looking at the security of your website domain instead of FareHarbor. If your website does not have SSL, Chrome users will see this message even though the book form is securely encrypted with SSL.

To avoid this issue—and to make your site more trustworthy to customers—we recommend adding SSL to your website. Learn how to add SSL to your site.

Internal-only content. Don't copy and paste to anyone.

Suggested verbiage to online customers concerned about booking security:

FareHarbor can confirm that all information entered during the online booking process is securely encrypted over SSL. You’ll notice that if you open the “Book Now” link in a new tab (or follow this direct link: [INSERT LINK]), the secure lock will be shown in your browser.

Additional context to share with the client:

By default, the FareHarbor booking process opens as an overlay on top of your website. This means that if your own website does not have SSL, web browsers will show a warning that the site is insecure because they are looking at the security of your website, not FareHarbor’s.

Different browsers have different ways of indicating website security, but all of them will likely show a similar message to the one your customer is seeing. For this reason, it’s a good idea to look into enabling SSL on your website, and depending on how your site is hosted, there are a few different ways to do this. You can read more about SSL and how to add it here: https://fareharbor.com/help/website/security/