Personal data theft warnings and browser warnings are becoming increasingly important for consumers. Not using a TLS / SSL certificate for your site can undermine customer confidence and reduce the speed of transactions. In this article, we will discuss how to choose an SSL certificate service.
What is an SSL certificate?
An SSL certificate is a digital signature issued by a special certification authority. Confirms the validity of the web resource server and the authenticity of the owner’s data, provides secure data exchange. With such a certificate, it is easy to understand that the online store is reliable, and the information specified when ordering (card number, phone) is securely encrypted and will not fall into the hands of attackers.
While using the standard HTTP protocol, the browser transmits users’ personal information to the server in the open. Therefore, you must use a secure version of HTTP – which encrypts personal information before transmitting it. HTTPS is activated after installing the SSL certificate. Thanks to mathematical algorithms, the client and server receive a secret key that encrypts the transmitted data. As a result, attackers will not be able to access the information.
The SSL protocol is designed to perform the following functions:
- encrypts the transmitted data;
- performs service authentication;
- ensures the integrity of the transmitted data.
By the number of supported domains or subdomains, certificates are:
- Protect one domain name. Subdomains (including www) are not protected.
- Protect the domain and all subdomains.
- Protect several different domains.
How to choose an SSL certificate service?
If you have a blog or a simple thematic portal where no user data is collected other than e-mail – a free or the cheapest option of SSL certificate provided by the hosting company will suffice. If the site conducts financial transactions – choose the appropriate option for you, based on the number of transactions.
When evaluating a certificate service, make sure it:
- Meets the basic requirements of the CA / B Forum;
- Conducts annual audits of both WebTrust and SOC;
- Support WebTrust Membership for Certification Authorities;
- Submit an annual Service Organization Control.
Godaddy is a good alternative
Well known for its web domain services, GoDaddy also sells website certificates. It is the largest domain registrar in the world with over 13 million customers.
The company offers many different services, such as domain name registration, website designer, and email service, to create memorable sites that reflect the specifics of your business. GoDaddy also offers a wide range of hosting plans: from virtual and WordPress to reseller, VPS, and dedicated servers.
For most tariff plans, the company suggests a free SSL certificate for the entire period of purchase. For the Ultimate tariff plan (virtual hosting) and VPS servers, a free SSL certificate can be obtained only for one year. In some packages, such as Economy and Deluxe virtual hosting, the certificate is not included in the price of the tariff plan and must be purchased separately.
GoDaddy’s services are suitable for all users, both experienced and newbies. The advantages of the company include the compliance of uptime indicators with the speed of reality; availability of servers around the world and brand awareness, which creates a sense of confidence in the quality of the company’s services for new customers.