SSL Certificate FAQ - VeriSign Secured™ Seal - Ecommerce Security from VeriSign, Inc.

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Answers:

What is the VeriSign Trust™ Seal?
Norton Secured The VeriSign Trust Seal is a dynamic, animated graphic that displays on Web pages secured by VeriSign® SSL Certificates and Web sites authenticated by VeriSign. When users click the VeriSign seal, a verification page opens containing information about your organisation, the status of your malware scan, and SSL Certificate details (if you are an SSL customer).

In April 2012, all VeriSign seals will automatically update to the Norton™ Secured Seal. The VeriSign Checkmark, part of the most recognised trust mark on the Internet, will be combined with the leading name in personal technology protection, Norton, and become the Norton™ Secured Seal. After the update, the Norton Secured Seal will be displayed up to 650 million times per day on over 100,000 Web sites in 165 countries and in search results on enabled browsers as well as partner shopping sites and product review pages.

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Why is Norton the brand name used in the Norton Secured Seal?
In August 2010, Symantec purchased VeriSign Authentication Services, including VeriSign SSL Certificates and the VeriSign Trust Seal. As part of the transition, the trust mark will become part of the Symantec product family. The Checkmark will stay the same and the seal will say "Norton Secured, powered by VeriSign". Symantec’s Norton brand is extremely well known to consumers, and these consumers look for the Norton Secured Seal on Web sites just like yours. In recent tests, 77% of consumers recognise the Norton™ Secured Seal with the check, more than any of our competitors' trust seals (Symantec Consumer Research, January 2011).

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How do I add the VeriSign Trust Seal to my Web site?
The VeriSign Trust Seal is included with the purchase of any VeriSign SSL Certificate. It also can be purchased separately for Web sites that do not require SSL for securing online transactions. The steps are easy:

Purchase and install a VeriSign® SSL Certificate or purchase a VeriSign Trust Seal.
Go to the VeriSign Seal Installation Agreement.
Create your seal script.
Copy and paste it onto your Web pages.
Check your Web pages to make sure the VeriSign seal displays correctly.

Note: In April 2012, your VeriSign Trust Seal will automatically update to the Norton™ Secured Seal.

Where should I display the VeriSign Trust Seal on my Web site?
VeriSign recommends that you insert the seal where site visitors look for proof of security and authenticity:

Your home page
The footer of interior pages
Shopping trolley/basket and checkout pages
Pre-payment pages
Log-in screens and on secure application pages
On pages that display security or privacy policy information
Next to checkout or submit buttons

To make sure you get maximum benefit of the VeriSign Trust Seal, read our data sheet: VeriSign Seal Positioning.

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What is the difference between the VeriSign Secured® Seal, the VeriSign Trust Seal and the Norton Secured Seal?
The VeriSign Secured Seal says VeriSign Secured and displays on Web sites that are secured by VeriSign SSL Certificates.

The VeriSign Trust Seal says VeriSign Trusted and displays on Web sites that have passed the daily Web site malware scan, included with your purchase of VeriSign Trust Seal or SSL Certificate. The VeriSign Trust Seal also displays in search results on enabled browsers, partner shopping sites and product review pages through VeriSign Seal-in-Search™.

The Norton Secured Seal says Norton Secured, powered by VeriSign and includes the Checkmark and a distinctive yellow circle. It will display on Web sites that have passed the daily Web site malware scan included with your purchase, and will also appear in search results on enabled browsers. In April 2012, both the VeriSign Secured Seal and the VeriSign Trust Seal will automatically update to the Norton Secured Seal.

All 3 seals have the same footprint on your site. When you insert the code, the correct seal automatically displays.

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Can I begin using the Norton Secured Seal before April 2012?
A select group of early adopters are testing the Norton Secured Seal before April. To learn more about becoming an early adopter, contact your sales representative. For updates on this seal transition, visit our online community dedicated to this update: www.symantec.com/verisigntransition101

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Can I customise the VeriSign Trust Seal? Can I continue using it after April 2012 rather than the Norton Secured Seal?
The VeriSign seal is the most recognised trust mark on the Internet. To maintain the value of trust in the seal and to comply with the terms and conditions of the license agreement, you should not modify the seal in any way. When it is automatically updated in April 2012, the Norton™ Secured Seal will be displayed up to 650 million times per day on more than 100,000 Web sites in 165 countries and in search results on enabled browsers as well as partner shopping sites and product review Web pages. Symantec expects customers to have at least the same, if not better, results when they display the Norton™ Secured Seal on their Web site.

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Why is it important to display the VeriSign Trust Seal on my Web site?
The VeriSign Trust Seal is an indispensable tool in your effort to improve your customers' perception of safety and trust when they do business online. Displaying the seal on your Web site can help reassure visitors. In recent tests, 65% of consumers agree that a Web site displaying the Norton™ Secured Seal is “safe to browse and won’t give me a virus”, more than any other online trust mark. (Symantec Consumer Research, January 2011) When customers feel secure, they are more likely to convert from visitors to customers and less likely to abandon your shopping cart.

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Can the VeriSign Trust Seal help increase my online sales?
Symantec customer case studies have shown an increase in transactions when the VeriSign seal was displayed. To maximise click through to your shopping cart, show customers that they can trust the link, trust the site, and trust the transaction with the VeriSign seal present at all stages of the purchase process. In recent tests, 94% of respondents were likely to continue an online purchase when they viewed the Norton™ Secured Seal during the checkout process, more than any of our competitor’s trust marks. (U.S. Online Consumer Study, February 2011)

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Can the VeriSign Trust Seal help increase traffic from search engines?
Certainly one of your biggest challenges as an online business is standing out in search so that potential visitors click on your link. The VeriSign Trust Seal includes Seal-in-Search, a feature that automatically displays the VeriSign Trust Seal next to your link in search results on enabled browsers. Norton™ Safe Web, active on over 40 million desktops worldwide, now displays the Norton™ Secured Seal next to Web site links protected by VeriSign® SSL Certificates. Additionally, a daily Web site malware scan helps mitigate the risk of becoming blacklisted by search engines or blocked by anti-virus browser plug-ins that detect malware.

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What is malware?
Malware is a general term for malicious code installed on your Web site without your consent. Hackers exploit a security weakness to inject the code into your Web site and use it to spread viruses, hijack computers or steal sensitive data such as credit card numbers or other personal information. Malware is not easily detected and may infect customers' computers when they simply browse your Web site.
FAQ: Web Site Malware Scanning

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What does blacklisted mean?
Google, Yahoo, Bing and other search engines scan and then blacklist or exclude any Web site found with malware. Vulnerability assessment helps you quickly identify and take action against the most exploitable weaknesses on your Web site. It may reduce the risk of hackers finding your site and attacking it. Daily Web site malware scanning alerts you if your Web site is infected with malicious software. The combination helps reduce the risk of being blacklisted by Google or other search engines.

Vulnerability assessment is included with every Extended Validation or Pro SSL Certificate (Compare SSL Certificates).

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How quickly will the VeriSign Trust Seal display on my site?
Installing the seal takes just a few minutes. Once the pages have been published, your SSL Certificate has been authenticated and your Web site has passed a malware scan, the seal may take up to 2 hours to display. If this is the first time you have installed the seal using a particular common name, please allow up to 24 hours for the seal to display.

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Do I need to reinstall the seal for any reason?
No. You only need to install the seal once. The validity period will be updated on the seal pop-up window automatically. In April 2012, all VeriSign seals will automatically update to the Norton Secured Seal.

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Why should I install the animated version of the seal?
Flash content animates the seal, making it more visible to site visitors and more valuable to you. However, if your Web site does not support Flash content, you can select a non-Flash version of the seal during the installation process.

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Why isn't there a time and date stamp or organisation name on the VeriSign Trust Seal?
VeriSign conducted extensive market testing of trust marks with close to 1,000 participants across four continents. We determined that Web site visitors prefer a clean, simple seal design with maximum recognition. Date, time, organisation name and additional trust and security information appear on the seal verification page.

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What should I do if I discover misuse of a seal?
VeriSign actively monitors the Web for misuse of all VeriSign seals. If you encounter a VeriSign seal that is used incorrectly, please report it to VeriSign via the Report Seal Misuse form. Misuse might include: