Do you understand what SSL encryption entails and what an SSL certificate is? If you do, that's fantastic. But for those who don't know what they are, we'll dive right in and show you how to choose the best SSL encryption for your website on luxhosting.com.
Understanding SSL Encryption
If you’re not sure what SSL means, let’s clarify that before we go any further. SSL refers to Secure Sockets Layer and is the technology that powers the ‘https’ URL’s.
You should notice by now that as long as a website isn’t secure, your search engine will inform you that the connection isn’t secure and asks if you are sure you want to proceed. If this happens, that means the website does not have an SSL certificate and has an http URL as opposed to an https URL.
Encryption simply means that the information being shared between you and others is converted into a code that is unrecognizable to hackers. This makes the information shared accessible only to those who have a ‘secret key’ or password.
As long as your website is SSL encrypted it means that you also have an SSL certificate. Below we’ll explore the different types of SSL encryption and how to select the best one for your site.
5 Types of SSL encryption
An SSL certificate and SSL encryption are a must-have for any website, especially if it's an eCommerce site. And with online shopping more popular than it has ever been, customers need to know that their personal information is secure.
There are different types of SSL encryption. Here’s a list from which you can select the best SSL Encryption for your site.
1. Domain Validated (DV) certificate
DV certificates are the easiest and fastest certificates for you to attain. They are sent to you in as little as a few minutes, depending on your request. One of the stipulations involved in acquiring this certificate is proof that you own the domain you wish to register the certificate for.
DV certificates are said to offer the least amount of authentication when compared to other certificates but it is still enough to assure your site users that you have an SSL certificate and does offer a level of protection.
This type of certificate is perfect for blogs and other types of personal or small websites.
2. Wildcard certificate (DV)
These days, websites have their main domain name and then multiple sub-domains for the many pages that your main website has. If this is the case for you or you see your website having sub-domains in the future it would only make sense to have an SSL certificate that covers sub-domains.
It would truly be costly to get separate SSL certificates for each of your sub-domains. This is where wildcard certificates come in. They help you save money by offering encryption to your main domain and unlimited sub-domains you may have in future.
It can take up to a day to acquire this certificate, but it’s definitely worth the wait. This type of certificate is perfect for blogs, small websites with sub-domains and personal websites.
3. Organization Validated (OV) certificate
The OV certificate is just a step up from the DV certificate. To acquire such a certificate, you need to prove you own your website’s domain as well as the business that is connected to the website.
Getting through this process can take up to 3 days and involves a lot of paperwork such as submitting business documents, legal government licenses and articles of incorporation among other things.
This type of certification is perfect for businesses that do not have a big budget for SSL certificates just yet but can afford to get a better type of certificate than the first ones we discussed.
4. Extended Validation (EV) certificate
The EV certificate is the premium SSL certificate and is the preferred choice for many. As the word premium suggests, you conclude that it is also the most expensive of all the SSL certificates. It also has the most rigorous validation process that can take up to a week to be processed.
When you have an EV certificate, your website and business have full validation and increases your website’s conversion rate. Your website is also equipped with the most advanced protection against cyber attacks.
Upon clicking on your site, visitors will know immediately they can trust you with all their sensitive and private data. You are guaranteed the best ROI when you choose to acquire an EV certificate.
This type of SSL certificate is best for eCommerce, social media, banking, government and any website that collects sensitive data from its users.
5. Multi-domain certificates
Multi-domain certificates allow you to make secure multiple domain names as opposed to one domain name and multiple sub-domains under a single SSL certificate.
With a DV/ Domain Validated certificate, there is little to no processing time involved in acquiring it.
DV/ Domain Validated certificate is great for website owners who have many domain names. It is also perfect for web hosting clients or companies with multiple domains.
Wrapping up
I hope this simplification of the different types of SSL certificates has helped you to determine how to select the best SSL certificates for your website. For more on SSL certificates and why they matter, take a look at this post. Get started on luxhosting.com.lu to choose the best SSL encryption for you and get your website(s).
