SSL Certificate Buyer’s Guide – What does your website need?

If you’re reading this, it’s probably because now understand that you need an SSL certificate and it plays a vital role in validating and securing websites online. This guide will explain the types of SSL certificates on our website as well as help you understand the right solution for your website. SSL/TLS certificates protect the connection between your website’s visitors and your web server while also authenticating your organization’s identity. 

Both of these are critical to your online success. Web security is essential in this day and age, but so is authentication. In E-commerce, trust is everything. You will not be successful on the internet unless you have the trust of your clients. Giving your clients confidence that they can trust you – that you are who you say you are – is critical to your success online. 

Three Things to Think About Before You Buy

1. First Impressions Matters.

SSL certificates come with visual site seals which are easily identified by your visitors and make them feel confident that they can trust your site. 

Choosing the correct certificate involves considering both security and the amount of confidence you require from your clients. This may vary from the type of information that visitors are required to give, for example, if you only need member login versus credit card details. People are wary about giving confidential details as well as banking information.

2. Your SSL/TLS Provider Is Important.

The certificate authority issuing your SSL/TLS certificate is just as crucial as the type of certificate you select. You want to be supported by a brand that both you and your visitors recognise and trust. Hosting.co.uk certificates are issued by Sectigo – formerly Comodo, is one of the largest and most trusted digital certificate authorities in the world. To date, it has granted over 100 million digital certificates and having 12 million active certificates in the market, with over 700,000 businesses relying on it.

3. Compliance Is Important, Too.

PCI (Payment Card Industry) recommends EV for websites that handle sensitive information like as insurance data, credit card information, or personally identifiable information (PII). 

Why you really need an SSL & How to choose one

Here are some of the most common reasons why you need an SSL Certificate for your website. 

• Comply with new global website standards.
• Avoid browser warnings that say “Not Secure.”
• Keep consumer information secure through encryption.
• Improve search ranks and traffic with an SSL enabled website.
• Activate popular mobile features.
• Boost security of your website.
• Boost website trust, confidence, and conversions. 
• Differentiate yourself from the competitors through authentication.

Learn more about the advantages of SSL certificates in this blog.

How to choose the right SSL/TSL for your website?

I need an SSL to:	Solution	What to get
Secure just one website?	Single-domain –  1 domain to secured   (both www and non-www)	Available in DV, OV, and EV versions.
Site(s) with subdomains to secure?	Wildcard –  Secure 1 domain with an infinite number of subdomains (*.domain.com)	Available in DV and OV formats.
Defend many sites?	Multi-domain –  Protect up to 250 domains (zonat.net, site. org, yourstore.com)	Available in DV, OV, and EV versions. Management should be simplified. Spend less money
Protect many sites and subdomains?	Secure numerous domains and subdomains (ie: www.hosting.co.uk, *.site.com, shop.org).	Existing for DV and OV formats. Easy management. Extremely adaptable.

What are your options?

When it comes to understanding SSL certificates, know that there are three basic options or three authentication levels. The extent to which a company is screened and the visitor trust it commands determines the authentication level of each certificate.

Certificate Type	Validation level	Advantages	Ideal for users who:
DV – Domain Validation Certificate		Provides encryption to ensure the secure delivery of personal and sensitive information, while also keeping up with recent changes in browser encryption practises. DV certificates only validate domain ownership and are thus issued rapidly.	Excellent for sites where authentication is less necessary and encryption is required, such as blogs, information-request websites, intranets, and test or development servers.
OV – Organization Validation		Provides the same encryption as DV certificates, but additionally validates the identity of the organisation that runs the website, increasing user confidence and proving the validity of the site operator.	A solid choice for public-facing websites that gather personal information such as login information, payment information, and national identifiers, among other things.
EV – Extended Validated		EV SSL Certificates employ standard authentication techniques established by the CA/Browser Forum to deliver the industry’s most stringent authentication. EV will enable the green address bar to show in common browsers, encouraging the maximum degree of confidence among consumers.	Ideal for eCommerce, banking, and other sites that handle sensitive information, as well as sites wishing to increase conversions and build their online brand trust.

Choose validation level for you or a business website

Before you select your SSL Identify your audience and the required protection for them. SSLs like we said must adhere to global standards. The table below will help you identify your needs.

	Basic SSL	Business SSL	Premium SSL
Validation	DV – Domain Validation	OV – Organization Validation	EV – Extended Validation
Validates	Domain Ownership	Ownership of a domain. Company’s legitimate Identity Telephone authenticity	Ownership of a domain. Company’s legitimate Identity Telephone authenticity Verifies Physical address
Prominent trust indicator	HTTPS + Padlock	HTTPS + Padlock	Domain Ownership Includes company details on certificate
Site seal certification	Static	Dynamic – bears company’s name and certificate details	Dynamic – bears company’s name and certificate details
Other advantages	Guaranteed support   Warranty	Customer Service. Risk Reduction. The CA Audit Trail. Warranty Fights against phishing.	Full transparency. Increases trust and confidence. Customer Service. Cart abandonment is reduced. Anti-phishing. Warranty. Proven to Increase Conversions.
Caters to needs	Only Encryption	Only Encryption  Financially supported	Maximum Validation.  Encrypt Credit Card and Financial Data.  Boost Conversions.  Increase Trust.  Reputation Protection.
Best Fits	Personal, internal, websites not demanding customer data, blogs	Small Business Websites that do not include ecommerce.	Websites for Ecommerce, the financial sector, and global or national.
Warranty coverage	Coverage up to $10,000	Typically, up to $1,750,000	Typically, up to $2,000,000

What SSL term length do I require?

SSL certificates have a maximum life of one year (398 days). 

Just so you’re aware, all our SSL Certificates: 

• Include 256-bit encryption, which is industry standard (SHA-2). 
• Establish a secure encrypted connection between the browser and the server. 
• Check and validates domain ownership. 
• In the browser bar, show HTTPS and a padlock next to the page URL. 

Consider the following stats: 

• According to PhishLabs, 99.5 percent of HTTPS phishing sites had a Domain Validation (DV) SSL Certificate within a 30-day period, making it more difficult to discern legitimate from non-legitimate DV sites. 
• According to Bizrate 69 percent of internet customers explicitly seek for websites with trust icons.  
• According to a recent Ted-ED survey,
  1. 77% of online shoppers are afraid to shop on a website that lacks EV SSL.
  2. EV-enabled websites are preferred by 93% of shoppers.
  3. On sites using EV, 97 percent are more inclined to give credit card information, compared to only 63 percent on non-EV sites.
• EV has been shown to decrease shopping cart abandonment and boost conversions:
  1. Overstock.com saw an 8.6% drop in shopping cart abandonment.
  2. Canadadrug.com—33% increase in transactions made, with a 27 percent more in sales per transaction.
  3. CRS Hotels saw a 30% increase in conversions for its central reservation service.
  4. Conversions for fitness footwear increased by 16.9%.
  5. iStyles—a 28% rise in conversions.

To Wrap up

An SSL certificate is a dynamic, ever-changing part of online security. But don’t worry, look to Hosting.co.uk as your trusted adviser to ensure you have the correct solutions in place to achieve your objectives. Still have questions? Reach out to our SSL specialist here or book a free consultation so we can match you with the right solution for your website.