An SSL certificate is a type of digital certificate that provides authentication for a website and enables an encrypted secure connection.
Browsers such as Google Chrome are starting to show warnings and may soon block sites that don’t run under HTTPS. Also potential customers are more likely to trust and complete purchases from sites that use HTTPS. Currently a regular HTTP connection can be read by a hacker between your browser and the website. This can present issues if the data includes personal details or sensitive information.
With an HTTPS connection using an SSL certificate, all the data sent to and from your website is securely encrypted, protecting the data which passes between users and the website.To assure visitors that their connection is secure, browsers provide special visual cues that we call EV indicators -- anything from a green padlock to branded URL bar.
An SSL certificate helps secure information such as:
- Login credentials
- Credit card transactions or bank account information
- Personally information
- Legal documents and contracts
- Medical records
SSL certificates are made up of two keys, a public and a private key. These keys work together to establish an encrypted connection. The certificate also contains what is called the “subject,” which is the identity of the certificate/website owner.
To install the Certificate, you must create a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) on your server. This process creates a private key and public key on your server. The CSR data file that you send to the SSL Certificate issuer (called a Certificate Authority or CA) contains the public key. The CA uses the CSR data file to create a data structure to match your private key without compromising the key itself. The CA never sees the private key.
If you host a website with us and purchase a SSL Certificate from our store we can install this for you.
All our SSL certificates can be purchased for up to two years. Only specific SSL certificates we offer can be purchased up to three years.
From September 1 this year the web browser Safari will only accept SSL Certificates with a term of one year. However you could purchase an SSL Certificate for two years and then just re-issue the certificate each year to update
There are a range of certificates, some to cover multiple domains, some with additional validation options and higher warranties. We recommend at least having a basic one but if you need more help deciding on this please contact us for assistance.
