DigiCert Smart Seal Displays Identity and Improves Trust for Consumers

DigiCert, Inc., the world’s leading provider of TLS/SSL, IoT and other PKI solutions, announced the DigiCert Smart Seal, a new dynamic site seal that gives website visitors confidence that their information is secure on the web. Real-time security indicators enabled through various microinteractions alert visitors that the seal is actively present on the page, the site has been validated, and the site is protected by an active certificate from the world’s most trusted certificate authority.

When site visitors roll over the DigiCert Smart Seal, they see the company’s logo, which has been verified by DigiCert. They also view usable information about the site’s security delivered right to the seal, so users do not have to leave the page to verify a site’s legitimate identity.

“HTTPS has changed in recent years, and consumers can no longer rely on just looking for the lock — they need to look beyond the lock for assurance and trust that they are visiting the legitimate website,” said DigiCert Senior Director of Business Development Dean Coclin. “The DigiCert Smart Seal takes site seals into a modern era in a way that helps organizations demonstrate that they take security seriously, and that gives their end-customers peace of mind.”

The DigiCert Smart Seal is the first seal to visually display the site owner’s brand via a verified brand logo. It also is the first to bring information previously trapped inside the digital certificate and provide it in terms that users can understand. The DigiCert Smart Seal enables consumers to take an active role in safeguarding their online activity, providing:

• A detailed splash page that helps reassure consumers of site security practices and presents them in consumer-friendly terms.
• Additional website security features that are active, such as blocklist checks, Certificate Transparency (CT) log monitoring and vulnerability assessment scans — all accessible with just one click.
• PCI compliance status when a customer is using a DigiCert Secure Site Pro certificate.
• Confirmation that the site has been checked against more than 70 blocklists for malware.

Trust is fundamental for online transactions, and consumers need assurance that sites are secure and authentic. Traditional trust seals are subject to spoofing, lapses or general misuse that can undermine trust. With browser UI trust indicators shifting, the DigiCert Smart Seal is an innovative way for enterprises to instill real-time confidence in users that their site identity is verified, their certificate is up-to-date and the site is reliable. A 2020 study by DigiCert found that 71% of consumers look for security seals before proceeding with transactions. Another study from Crazyegg found that sites that display site seals or trust marks perform 48% better than sites that don’t, thus increasing conversion rates and ROI.

Continued Coclin, “With the web now enforcing HTTPS by default and cybercriminals using TLS certificates, users need additional ways to protect themselves online. The DigiCert Smart Seal may not prevent all web spoofing and fraud, but it’s an important step forward in providing a powerful trust indicator that brands can control for their customers.”

The DigiCert Smart Seal is available now as part of DigiCert Secure Site and DigiCert Secure Site Pro certificates and early adopters are already expressing positive feedback.

“Brand indicators and trust are really important for Italian web users, and the DigiCert Smart Seal indicates to visitors that our site is legitimate and secure,” said Riccardo Cazzola, CEO, Trust Italia. “We are committed to using the best solutions in the market and providing trusted services for some of Italy’s largest enterprises, which is why we use DigiCert and their innovative offerings.”

"Among continued web-based attacks, website visitors are looking for signs of trust that the site they are visiting is legitimate and secure," said Jindrich Zechmeister, Director of IT Security, ZONER software, a.s. "The DigiCert Smart Seal is a great step toward restoring this trust, giving website operators a dynamic indicator of their identity, displaying a verified logo and essential information about the status of their TLS certificates and other site security measures."

“We want to build trust, and our customers recognize our trademark, so when they visit our webpage, we want them to feel safe,” said Marcus Wessberg, Head of IT, Ports Group. “Certificates offer so much more than crypto: it’s all about identity, brand recognition and trust. The DigiCert Site Seal provides that brand recognition and trust for our site visitors.”