What is an SSL Certificate?
An SSL certificate, also known as a Secure Sockets Layer certificate, is a digital certificate used to secure and encrypt communications between a website and a user’s browser. This ensures that any sensitive information, such as login credentials or personal information, is transmitted securely and privately.
Who Issues SSL Certificates?
A Certificate Authority (CA) that issues SSL certificates is a trusted third-party organization. It verifies the website owner’s identity and grants the certificate. After a successful issue grant, it is installed on the website’s server, and the website’s URL will begin with “Https” instead of “HTTP.” This indicates that the website is secure and that any information transmitted over the site is encrypted.
Digital Kangaroos, a premier web development agency, helps you with all the website security issues, including the installation of SSL certificates.
How to Get an SSL Certificate?
Choose a Certificate Authority (CA)
Before you can get an SSL certificate, you will need to choose a certificate authority (CA) to issue the certificate. Some popular CAs include DigiCert, GlobalSign, and Comodo.
Generate a Certificate Signing Request (CSR)
A certificate signing request (CSR) is a file that contains information about your website and your organization. You will need to generate a CSR and submit it to the CA. The CSR typically includes information such as the domain name, organization name, and contact information.
Verify your Domain Ownership
After the CA receives your CSR, they will verify the domain ownership for the certificate request. This process can vary depending on the type of certificate you are requesting. For example, domain-validated (DV) certificates only require proof that you own the domain. In contrast, organization-validated (OV) and extended validation (EV) certificates require more extensive verification of your organization’s identity.
Install the Certificate
After receiving the certificate, you need to install it on your web server. The process of installing a certificate varies depending on the server type. You can refer to the specific documentation of your web server for instructions on how to install the certificate.
Update your Website
After you have installed the SSL certificate on your web server, you will need to update your website to use the “HTTPS” protocol instead of “HTTP.” This will ensure that all communications between your website and users are encrypted.
Renewal
SSL certificates have a limited lifetime, typically 1 or 2 years. It is crucial to keep track of the expiration date and renew the certificate before it expires. It may take about 1-2 days to receive the new certificate. If you are not careful, your website might temporarily shut down.
Benefits of SSL Certificates
Protect Sensitive Information
One of the primary benefits of an SSL certificate is that it helps to protect sensitive information from being intercepted by malicious actors. When a user enters personal information, such as a password or credit card number, into a website, that information is encrypted before it is transmitted. This makes it much more difficult for hackers to intercept and steal that information.
Improve Website Rankings
SSL certificates also help improve a website’s search engine rankings. In August 2014, Google stated that website using a 2048-bit key certificate receive a slight boost in search engine rankings, considering SSL-enabled websites trustworthy.
Increased Customer Trust
But how would a customer know the website is SSL secured? With the padlock icon on the left side of the URL. It certifies the customer of the website’s credibility and makes users more likely to engage with your website, fill out forms, make purchases, or share personal information.
Compliance with Regulations
–It is mandatory for some industries, such as finance and healthcare, to use SSL certificates to protect sensitive client information. Compliance with regulations such as HIPAA, PCI DSS, and GDPR is important to avoid penalties and fines.
Improved SEO
Keyword targeting and paid advertisements are a part of SEO. But did you ever think of SSL certificates as a crucial aspect of SEO? That’s right! Besides enhancing security and website ranking, SSL certificates magnify website SEO.
Better Analytics
SSL encryption can prevent third parties from intercepting data sent between your website and your customers. Thus, providing you with more accurate data.
Types of SSL Certificates
There are several types of SSL certificates, each with varying levels of validation and trust. The average cost of the SSL certificate is around $60 – $70.
Domain Validated
The most basic type of certificate is known as a domain-validated (DV) certificate. Since it is relatively inexpensive, thus making it is an ideal choice for first-time website owners. However, the downfall? It only verifies the domain name. Hence, the name.
Organization Validated
A more advanced type of certificate is known as an organization-validated (OV) certificate. This type of certificate requires a more extensive verification of the website- owner’s identity, including proof of business registration and contact information. They also need technical development expertise to install and maintain.
Extended Validation
The highest level of certification is known as an extended validation (EV) certificate. This type of certificate requires the most extensive verification of the website owner’s identity, including a thorough background check and proof of legal existence. EV certificates also provide the highest level of trust and are typically used by large, well-known organizations.
Different websites offer a different price range of SSL certificates, with a minute difference. With that, we provide you with the SSL certificate price plan from Go Daddy.
Concluding
In conclusion, SSL certificates are mandatory to protect sensitive information and secure the communication of websites and users. Trusted third-party organizations issue SSL certificates. It can be installed on a website’s server to encrypt communications and display the “HTTPS” in the website URL.
They can also boost a website’s search engine rankings and increase users’ trust. Different types of SSL certificates are available, each with varying levels of validation and trust, ranging from domain-validated to extended validation certificates.