There are a lot of things you need to know before buying an SSL certificate. If you don’t, the process might seem daunting to you. But have no fear!
This article is here to tell you what you need to know before buying your very own SSL certificate:
Ownership verification
SSL certificates are only as good as the company that issues them. They could easily make a fake SSL certificate with a few lines of code and even less technical know-how if someone wanted to.
However, you don’t need to worry about this if you’re buying from the right people.
To be issued an SSL certificate by your hosting provider or domain registrar, you absolutely must be able to verify ownership of your website or domain name.
Each type of SSL certification has slightly different requirements for this. Still, it generally boils down to proving that you own your website via its host (where it is hosted) or your domain registrar (where the domain was registered).
To prove ownership, you can upload an HTML file on your website with a unique code or complete a challenge-response process via e-mail.
Broken seals can result in invalid SSL certificates
You’ve probably heard that you should check to ensure that the little lock icon is on your website before transmitting sensitive information like credit card numbers.
This is because the certification company will give away any secret key necessary to decrypt your data if they are compromised (meaning someone hacked into their computer systems).
If your certificate becomes invalid due to this compromise, all sorts of badness could happen. This is why it’s essential to know precisely who issued your SSL certificate and be able to verify through them if something goes wrong with its validity.
Your server must support the latest encryption technology (AES 256-bit encryption)
If a cryptographer tells you something is AES-256 encrypted, that’s perfect. It means that the data is virtually unbreakable without the correct key.
SSL certificates are only as good as the encryption technology they use. So, if you want to be sure that your data is being transmitted securely, you need to ensure that your server (the computer where your website is hosted) supports AES-256 encryption.
If it doesn’t, you might be unable to take full advantage of all the security benefits of using an SSL certificate.
Not all certificates are created equal.
There are a few different types of SSL certificates, and some offer different levels of security. The most common type of SSL certificate is the standard or domain-validated certificate.
This type of certificate is perfect for small to medium-sized businesses that want to add an extra layer of security to their website but don’t have time for a more extensive validation process.
If you’re looking for something more comprehensive, you might want to consider an Extended Validation (EV) SSL certificate. This type of certificate requires a more rigorous verification process but comes with a few key benefits.
For starters, EV SSL certificates come with a green address bar, a visual indicator showing your customers that your website is safe to use. They also offer the highest level of encryption available.
Not all browsers support all types of SSL certificates
This might seem like a no-brainer, but it’s important to know that not all browsers support SSL certificates. So, if you plan on using an EV SSL certificate, make sure that your customers use a browser that will display the green address bar.
The most common browsers that support EV SSL certificates are Google Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 and higher.
You need an SSL certificate for every website you want to secure
You must purchase a certificate for each to secure multiple websites with SSL certificates. This can get expensive, especially if you have a lot of websites.
You can use the same SSL certificate on multiple websites.
If you want, you can use the same SSL certificate on multiple websites. This can be helpful if you have a lot of small websites that don’t require their separate certificate.
Just ensure that each website’s host server is configured to support SSL.
So, there you have it! These are some of the most important things to know before buying an SSL certificate. By understanding these basics, you can ensure you are getting the most out of your investment.