How does the customer know that a site is secure?

(My Original Blog Post: http://blog.areawebsolutions.com/how-does-the-customer-know-that-a-site-is-secure.html)
An "https://" prefix in the URL and a key or padlock icon in the browser's status bar indicate that a page within a Web site is secure.

An SSL-encrypted session usually starts once a visitor signs in to a secure area of a Web site, such as the checkout or account-management area of an online store.

Click to see SSL Certificates Plans