HTTP has been the accepted standard since 1997 and was the traditional way to serve up a website, even though it didn’t provide a secure connection. When you install an SSL certificate, your website will be served up using HTTPS (HTTP + SSL) instead of HTTP, indicating an encrypted connection.

The difference is between the key lengths used once an SSL connection has been established in the browser. 256-bit security is a bigger key, but that does not equate to it being more secure. Industry experts assert 128-bit is equally secure for the foreseeable future. The only reason 256-bit security may be required is if it's mandated by industry or company policy. All our SSL certificates can use either bit-length, which one you use is a matter of server configuration.

Until recently, basic websites or blogs that did not have text forms of any kind could pass without an SSL certificate. That will change in 2018. Browsers are making HTTPS, or encrypted connections, a requirement for all webpages, not just e-commerce sites and sites with text input fields or forms. After July 1 2018, webpages serving unencrypted HTTP connections will trigger a “Not Secure” warning for visitors using Chrome, and it is expected that the other major browsers will follow suit. With Chrome holding 58% of current browser market share, it's important that all websites implement SSL and HTTPS to not only maintain visitor trust, but also prevent abandonment and bounces triggered by “Not Secure" warnings.

While all SSLs use the same technology and standard of encryption, the different certificate types have distinct requirements and characteristics.

Things that will factor into your decision include whether you have a personal or business website, the robustness of validation you desire, how many domains you need to protect and if your website uses subdomains.

Personal vs Business Website
If you are running a blog, simple brochure website, or internal facing domain for employees, a Standard Domain Validation (DV) SSL should give you the coverage you need. DV SSL certificates have the added bonus of being the fastest to issue and can be authorized in minutes.

If you're invested in your reputation and place a high value on being perceived as trustworthy, a high assurance Organizational Validation (OV) SSL certificate is worth investing in. OV SSLs validate that the domain belongs to a registered business and displays the validated company information in its site seal. OV certificates typically take a little longer to vet, approximately 1-3 business days.

If you are running an e-commerce website or simply want the prominent, universally recognized green bar that is synonymous with security and highly regarded global brands, you will need to select an extended validation (EV) SSL certificate. The validation process for EV is more comprehensive and takes approximately 1-5 business days to issue.

Multiple Domain Names
If you have more than one domain name, a multi-domain (MD) SSL certificate will save you money and time. Multi-Domain certificates are a convenient choice for businesses that own multiple domains or TLD extensions, eliminating the need to purchase, install and manage separate SSLs for each one. These certificates cover all manners of fully qualified domain names (FQDNs) including publicly accessible web addresses, private hostnames, IP addresses and more. Multi-domain SSL certificates are available in DV, OV and EV options and many can extend their protection to 250+ domains.

Website with Subdomains
If your primary domain has active subdomains - for example, mail.domain.com, shop.domain.com, members.domain.com, test.domain.com, dev.domain.com, etc. - a Wildcard SSL certificate can be used to protect them all, as well as future ones that you might create. Wildcard SSL certificates cover one domain name and an unlimited amount of sub-domains, and are available in DV and OV options.

Increasing Visitor Confidence
As indicated above, the vetting and validation process for DV, OV, and EV SSL certificates vary in intensity, with OV and EV requiring additional information and verifications such as confirmation of the business' ownership, and in the case of EV, that your business is registered with a government authority. Generally speaking, the more in-depth the validation, the more confidence and trust you establish with visitors. OV and EV certificates also include more prominent trust indicators that get displayed on your website.

Domain Validation (DV) SSL - DV SSL Certificates are the fastest to issue and get in place because they only verify the authenticity of a domain name’s ownership and registration information. The Certificate Authority (CA) can issue DV certificates in a matter of hours.
Pros: Fast, inexpensive and easy.
Cons: Limited visual indicators - when visitors click the padlock, all they’ll see is domain registry information.
Best for: Blogs, internal testing domains, one-person entities, brochure websites and small organizations

Organization Validation (OV) SSL - OV SSL Certificates are typically processed in a few business days. The Certificate Authority (CA) verifies the ownership of a domain name and contacts the business requesting the certificate. A business must prove it’s is a legitimate legal entity by providing up-to-date documentation.
Pros: It comes with a dynamic clickable site seal that displays validated company information.
Cons: The visual indicators are more limited than EV. Visitors need to click on the site seal to see the organizational validation.

Best for: Small e-commerce sites and entities that don’t have the budget for EV, but still need to prove they’re trustworthy

Extended Validation (EV) SSL - With an EV SSL certificate the Certificate Authority (CA) checks must validate your organizational, physical and operational existence. Some of the process is conducted manually to ensure legitimacy. The vetting process is thorough and can take up to 5 business days to complete.
Pros: Used by the world’s biggest brands, the green bar is universally trusted and impossible to fake. EV SSL is proven to increase conversion.
Best for: Ecommerce businesses looking to maximize conversions and gain a competitive edge, national and global brands

For more information, read our SSL Validation Levels Explained page.

EV stands for Extended Validation and is the most premium type of SSL certificate available. These certificates are identified on websites mainly by the green address bar, one of the most universally recognized symbols of trust on the web and a feature that is impossible to fake. EV certificates are becoming increasingly common for all manner of websites, especially those receiving personally identifiable information and processing e-commerce transactions. EV SSL certificates require that a company complete a thorough vetting process before they will be issued, which makes them ideal for companies who want to maximize visitor confidence.

Certificate Authorities (CAs) are globally trusted entities, such as GeoTrust, Symantec and Comodo, that are authorized to issue SSL Certificates. Browsers, such as Chrome and Firefox, are applications that read the certificates to determine whether visitors can trust your website. Browsers trust the CAs, so when a CA validates your domain, organization and/or extended company details and says you’re legitimate, the browsers take them at their word. The CAs and browsers come together in the CA/B Forum to establish the ‘rules of the web’ that govern the issuance and management of SSL Certificates.

Here’s a short overview of the different CA brands Webnames carries.

RapidSSL – A fast, inexpensive and basic option for small websites. RapidSSL is a reputable Certification Authority with a fully automated issuance process that takes just minutes to complete.

GeoTrust – A globally recognized, versatile and highly trusted SSL brand with numerous budget-friendly options. GeoTrust offers business-class SSL solutions and is a good match for businesses and organizations who want their SSL security to come from a longstanding, prominent brand with wide reaching browser compatibility.

Multi-Domain SSL certificates cover all manners of fully qualified domain names (FQDNs) including publicly accessible web addresses, private hostnames, IP addresses and more under a single certificate. If you have 2 or more unique Fully Qualified Domain Names (FQDN), you should be selecting a Multi-Domain Certificate.

Wildcard SSL certificates allow you to secure an unlimited number of subdomains (mail.domain.com, shop.domain.com, members.domain.com, test.domain.com, etc.) under a single certificate. If you have multiple different subdomains, you should be selecting a Wildcard Certificate, especially if you will continue to add subdomains over time.

In both of the above scenarios, we recommend choosing if you’re a customer facing business or organization and EV if your website is transactional.

SSL certificates come with warranties to cover any damages that you may incur as a result of a data breach or hack that occurred due to a flaw or vulnerability in the certificate. The warranties range in value and scale up, higher value certificates having more comprehensive warranties.

When you are ready to install your SSL certificate, you can follow our step-by-step SSL Installation Guide. Should you require assistance across any stage of the purchase, configuration, verification and installation, simply reach out to our customer Support team for personal assistance.

Browser compatibility or browser ubiquity refers to how many browsers will recognize an SSL certificate and properly display its trust indicators. The higher the browser ubiquity of an SSL certificate, the more browsers that recognize and accept it. The major browsers include Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer, Opera, Netscape, and AOL. All of the Certificate Authorities carried by Webnames have 99-99.9 % browser compatibility, with more premium certificates recognizing more browser versions, especially ones utilized by mobile devices.

Issuance time varies according to the validation level (DV, OV, or EV) and Certificate Authority you choose. For information about issuance timelines on all the SSL certificates carried by Webnames.ca, visit our Approval and Validation help documentation in our SSL Guide.

A site seal is a visual indicator, specifically a static or dynamic image depending on your SSL certificate, that assures visitors that their connection is encrypted and it's safe to browse, share information or purchase on your website.

Static site seals are images and cannot be clicked on to reveal more information about the SSL certificate or organization behind the website. Dynamic site seals, in contrast, can be clicked or hovered over to see embedded information such as the organization name, date, and time stamp to show its validity. Dynamic Site Seals are typically associated with high-end offerings, like OV and EV certificates.

Static Site Seals

Dynamic Site Seal

Site seals of SSL brands carried by Webnames.ca

RapidSSL

Static

Sectigo SSL

Static or dynamic

GeoTrust SSL

Dynamic