Extented Validation

How EV Increases Online Profits

Why the ROI of EV SSL is worth it for Your Business

Download EV/Extended Validation SSL Research Study with Statistics

Please see the right column on page 11 of this study by research firm TecEd. It's very compelling regarding consumer response to EV (Extended Validation). 

This is pertinent re: legitimacy of research design etc.: http://teced.com/2011/09/30/stephanie-rosenbaum-awarded-lifetime-achievement-award/.

Nonprofit who gave the above award: http://www.stc.org/.

Note that this study is from 2007, and EV has increased 52% even in just the last year per Alexa Netcraft figures: http://investor.symantec.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=89422&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1645848&highlight=. So these figures are (we can infer) if anything more pronounced now since EV is more prevalent.

Though the majority of Internet users do not understand the differences between the different certificates, and therefore are clueless technologically what the green address bar means, there is a reason that business owners want the green bar: because these entrepreneurs have a sense that the green bar will influence site visitors to feel more comfortable with their site, to be more likely to purchase, and to be more likely to spend more. We live in an age when Sony, Citibank, and the IMF are being hacked; huge, en masse losses of data are rampant. We feel uncomfortable putting our information into a site that isn't going above and beyond to ensure us of their legitimacy and their efforts to protect our information. 

Because Extended Validation (EV) SSL is so helpful in easing a consumer's mind on your site, it can generate significantly improved conversion and profit. The comments on this blog post are indicative of its effectiveness: http://blog.techstacks.com/2008/10/extended-validation-ssl-certificates.html.