An SSL certificate encrypts the connection between your visitors and your website and shows the padlock in the browser. Every hosting plan with us already includes a free SSL certificate that's issued and renewed automatically, so most websites never need to buy one.
The free certificate is enough if…
- Your website is hosted with us, and
- you only need the padlock and encryption. That covers blogs, business sites, contact forms and most online stores.
See Install a Free SSL Certificate in cPanel. If the padlock is missing, see Website shows "Not secure" or an SSL certificate error.
Buy a paid certificate if…
- Your website is hosted somewhere else and that host doesn't give you a free certificate.
- You want your business identity verified in the certificate: OV (Organization Validation) or EV (Extended Validation). Some customers, partners or compliance checklists ask for this.
- You need a wildcard certificate covering every subdomain (
*.yourdomain.com) with one certificate. - You want the certificate authority's warranty or a site seal to display on your site.
The types we sell
| Type | What's checked | Issued in | Certificates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domain Validation (DV) | That you control the domain | Minutes | RapidSSL, GeoTrust QuickSSL Premium |
| Organization Validation (OV) | The domain plus your organization's identity | About 1 business day | GeoTrust True BusinessID, DigiCert Secure Site |
| Extended Validation (EV) | The strictest identity checks | Typically 1 to 3 business days | GeoTrust True BusinessID with EV, DigiCert Secure Site EV |
| Wildcard | Covers all subdomains of one domain | Depends on type | RapidSSL Wildcard, GeoTrust QuickSSL Premium Wildcard, GeoTrust True BusinessID Wildcard |
All of them give the same strength of encryption as the free certificate. The difference is what's verified about you, the warranty, and the seal.
Ready to buy? See Order a Paid Certificate.
