The Extended Validation Green Address Bar Matters, Here’s Why

When it comes to interacting online, everything is a matter of trust. Spam emails and clever phishing attacks make it more challenging to determine what’s legitimate and what isn’t, putting businesses and consumers on edge. Without trust, customers are reluctant to share sensitive information or conduct transactions online.

All variations of SSL certificates, Extended Validation (EV), Organization Validation (OV), and Domain Validation (DV), provide data integrity and encryption to websites. While each form of certificate provides protection, the amount of identity verification that is involved and how the certificates display in browsers varies between each certificate type. An EV SSL certificate, displayed prominently in browsers as a recognizable bright green bar, not only informs users that they are viewing a secure website but also provides extra assurance that this site is genuine and not some criminal counterfeit meant to trick them and their information.

To communicate the authenticated identity of a site operator, popular browsers display what is commonly referred to as the green address bar, signifying that this site is what it claims to be. The green address bar prominently features the name of the company that owns this certificate in green, making it easy for site visitors to ensure they are communicating with the actual company.

Research firm DevOps recently conducted a global survey of more than 350 active internet users to understand how the presence of a green address bar affects their usage and attitudes toward online businesses. The survey discovered that more than 85 percent of respondents are worried about phishing attacks, having their identity stolen, or having their personal accounts compromised. This high percentage indicates that the vast majority of users take their security seriously.

More than half of the survey respondents also expressed that the presence of a green address bar has a significant impact on their impression of a brand or company, including improving consumer perception of a company’s stability and level of customer service. Nearly two thirds of respondents indicated that they feel safer doing business with a site verified with an EV certificate.

When a green address bar is present, the research revealed that:

• 57% of people are more likely to share personally identifiable information
• 50% are more likely to engage in financial transactions
• 43% are more likely to sign up for a new account
• 38% are more likely to fill out and submit an online form
• 37% are more likely to make a purchase

When online shopping, respondents agreed they are more willing to make purchases, share credit card details and feel more confident in making expensive purchases – if and when an EV SSL certificate is present. Additionally, 32% of online shoppers are more likely to add recommended items to their cart, which increases items per ticket and overall average order value.

With increased security comes an increased cost, however the cost associated by EV certificates is minimal compared to the potential they represent for increased use of websites. The presence of an EV certificate leads not only to increased online purchasing, it also contributes to the expanded use of a range of online services, attributable to the increased trust from website visitors. The cost of strong security far outweighs the impact of a non-secure site.

The responses revealed some fascinating and functional insights. Bottom line—if your website does not instill confidence, customers will not trust you.

Check out the full report yourself to learn more about the survey, and what the findings indicate about the value of EV certificates.

UPDATED: 09/21/18

On September 19th, it was brought to our attention that the report we commissioned with DevOps did not adequately feature our name as part of the report, thus causing confusion among our readers.

We have received an updated version of the report from DevOps, where Comodo CA is now featured more promenietly.

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