Why is the urgency to purchase an SSL certificate growing today, or in any case the need to obtain one that can make the site or e-commerce secure?
The SSL certificate – acronym for Secure Socket Layer – is the security protocol that encrypts all sensitive data and information exchanged between the website and visitors, to make them inaccessible to external third parties and protect them from possible hackers and external attacks.
Security via SSL encryptionis therefore essential for any website where online transactions are made (sale of products and services) and which manages sensitive information, such as login data, bank details or personal information of users, especially due to the increase in snooping and phishing activities.
Websites that do not have an SSL certificate are vulnerable to phishing attacks, where hackers try to steal visitors’ personal information via fake websites.
The SSL certificate it is also required in regulatory compliance: some regulations require the use of an SSL certificate (for example, the General Data Protection Regulation of the European Union).
Furthermore, its use can help SEO, i.e. in positioning as search engines favor websites with an SSL certificate, being security evaluated by Google, for example, as a ranking factor.
In brief the SSL certificate protects the privacy of users, increases the trust of search engines and, above all, that of visitors / customers who can see the green bar or padlock next to the URL of the website, demonstrating that the SSL certificate is being used.
To help anyone who wants to understand how to do it, we have created this simple guide to buying the certificate SSL.
SSL certificate buying tips
Let’s take it slow, step by step, evaluating some details, because there are different types of SSL certificates offered by the main certificate authorities (CA) with different levels of security.
Before going into detail, follow these steps:
- Evaluate your needs and business needs, and choose the most suited type of SSL certificate.
- Before making any purchase, make sure that the certificate is compatible with the server and hosting provider.
- Consider adopting a more complex security system to ensure greater protection against possible cyber attacks, i.e. an SSL certificate that uses a longer encryption key than that used by standard SSL certificates.
- Based on all the above elements, evaluate the price of the certificate: the cost can vary depending on the CA and the type of certificate requested.
- After choosing the type of SSL certificate to purchase, you need to generate a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) from the web server. Once the CSR request has been generated, you can send it to a certificate authority (CA) to issue the SSL certificate.
PLEASE NOTE: To generate the CSR (Certificate Signature Request) you must provide your data. Later, you will get CSR and private key, to keep. - Once the SSL certificate ordering process is completed, an order confirmation email is sent, followed by another email to complete the configuration, send the generated CSR and start the verification process.
The CA examines the certificate request and starts the verification procedure. If you choose domain validation, you will get your certificate in minutes thanks to the automated verification process. If you choose an enterprise or extended validation certificate, you must submit all relevant documents to the certificate authority. - Install the SSL certificate on the server: once the certificate authority has approved the certificate request, they will send it via email. It will have to be downloaded and installed on the server.
Most hosting providers offer free installation of the SSL certificate or already include it in their service offer. - Verify that everything works as it should: once you have installed the SSL certificate, visit the website via HTTPS instead of HTTP, and make sure the SSL security seal is implemented. When visitors see the site’s HTTPS, secure padlock, and security seal, they are encouraged to take action online.
Our solution is free because it is included in our offer and is called AutoSSL. With Auto SSL, the site or e-commerce is automatically protected with a free SSL certificate that always stays up to date and is automatically renewed, at your decision.
Different Types of SSL Certificates: Which to Choose?
There are various SSL certificate CAs available in the market, such as Symantec, Comodo and GeoTrust, GoDaddy, etc., which offer different types of SSL certificates, depending on the needs of the website, including:
- Domain Validation (DV) certificates, which verify domain ownership only
- organization validation certificates (OV), which also verify the legal existence of the company
- Extended Validation (EV) certificates, which require additional checks to ensure maximum safety.
Then there are single domain certificates, wildcard certificates and multi-domain certificates.
In conclusion, purchasing an SSL certificate is an operation as simple as it is important, because it encrypts all sensitive information, such as user access and payment data, preventing them from being intercepted from the outside. In addition, using an SSL certificate increases people’s trust in the website and that of search engines, such as Google.
