I have a form on my site, a registration form to be exact. Many people look for the lock at the bottom before they enter their data, does this always mean the site has a SSL or something? I'm just afraid to lose potential registrants because they don't think it is secure. The information is securely stored into a mySQL database, passwords are encrypted, etc.. but no SSL.

So theres my question, and also, are there any other things you can suggest to lay the minds of registrants to rest?

If it has the SSL lock on the bottom it means that the data that is being transferred from the browser to the server is encrypted.

As far as entering information - it depends. if it is just name, e-mail, address, & phone number - I really do not care. But if you are asking for mother's maiden name, social security number, driver's license, credit card data, etc then yes, it should be secure

You can put into your privacy policy that your data is secure and you do not share it with anyone

I think it is better to have the padlock, and I personally would never enter my card details without it there.

I think it would be safer if you did look into using a secure connection for the registration page, and also make an image making sure they know it's there to set their mind at rest. Also, detailing that their data will be kept in a secure database that is encrypted might keep them at bay to, but that might spark up hack attempts ....

You need it. People look for the security lock. Its a plus point to the website. Also include the information about the SSL in your privacy policy page. Many users check your privacy policy and terns and aggreement pages before buying your products.

Macromedia has been using its Flash product to implement its online store for some time. Flash is supposedly secure in and of itself for encrypted data transfers. Recently, Macromedia knuckled under and added SSL to their online store, because without the padlock showing 'locked' many consumers stopped their online transactions and called in to complete their transcations.

Alright.. Thanks guys. I suppose I have two options then, either ask for less information, or purchase a SSL. Thanks again, I'm off to weigh my options! ;)

FYI, You can get an SSL from EV1 for about $5 now