For an online business, the data security is the first critical and important strategy of a plan of activities. Inside of these key components of online business is creating a trusted environment where potential customers feel confident in making purchases. SSL certificate creates a foundation of trust by establishing a secure connection. To ensure visitors their connection is secure, browsers provide visual cues, such as a lock icon or a green bar.
What is SSL certificate and how does SSL certification work? These are the questions we received from our readers. If you Google it, you will find many informative articles about SSL Certification. But here we just explain in short and clear way for those who are new with SSL.
What do you need to know about SSL Certification?
- What is SSL Certificate?
- How does SSL Certification work?
- Difference between HTTP and HTTPS.
- Do I need SSL for my Website?
- Where to purchase SSL Certification?
- How to install SSL on a Website?
- How to Fix SSL Errors?
To understand the complete process of what is SSL and how SSL certification work, follow this step by step guide. Ask your question about SSL when you don’t understand some part or having an issue with SSL installation guide.
What is SSL Certificate?
The SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is the standard security technology for establishing an encrypted link between a web server and a browser. This link ensures that all data passed between the web server and browsers remain private and integral. The SSL is an industry standard and is used by millions of websites in the protection of their online transactions with their customers.
The updated version is Transport Layer Security (TLS). The TLS and its predecessor SSL, both frequently referred to as “SSL“. These are cryptographic protocols that provide communications security over a computer network. Several versions of the protocols find widespread use in applications such as web browsing, email, Internet faxing, instant messaging, and voice-over-IP (VoIP). Websites can use TLS to secure all communications between their servers and clients web browsers. If you need more information about SSL and TLS protocol, read the transport layer security on Wikipedia.
How Does SSL Certification Work?
The SSL certificates have a key pair: a public and a private key. These keys collaborate to establish an encrypted connection. The SSL certificate also contains what is called the “subject,” which is the identity of the certificate/website owner.
To get a certificate, you must create a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) on your site. This process generates a private key and public key on your website hosting 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. Once you have received the SSL certificate from the SSL certificate issuer, you install it on your website from cPanel.
Difference Between HTTP and HTTPS
The HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is the secure version of HTTP, the protocol over which data is sent between your browser and the website that you are connected to. The ‘S‘ at the end of HTTPS stands for ‘Secure‘. It means all communications between your browser and the website are encrypted. HTTPS is often used to protect highly confidential online transactions like online banking and online shopping order forms. Nowadays most common sites are using SSL to secure their client data and website SEO Optimization.
Web browsers such as Internet Explorer, Firefox and Chrome also display a padlock icon in the address bar to indicate that a HTTPS connection is in effect visually.
Do I need SSL for my Website?
Website with SSL is secure and suitable for website SEO according to latest Google Panda policy. If your site is just a content blog or general information about your products, services, and photo galleries of your products and doesn’t require your customers to login. Then you likely do not need an SSL certificate.
If your business website has forms that ask for sensitive, personal information you should be using an SSL Certificate. Otherwise, that data is transmitted in clear text. Not having SSL on your site could mean that you are missing leads due to visitors not filling out forms on unsecured pages.
Where to Purchase SSL Certification?
When you buy web hosting space, you can order SSL certificate as well. Most domain registrars provide SSL with domain registration with low price. I recommend you NameCheap SSL. Requesting an SSL certificate is very easy. After purchasing SSL certificate, you’ll need to create a CSR and prepare your WHOIS record and company validation documents before submitting your order.
It depends on your business security requirements. The provision of services, features, support, warranty and prices of SSL providers are different. We are using Webjow business web hosting plan. They provide Comodo SSL for their customer’s websites with high quality and low prices.
Top SSL certificate providers:
- Comodo
- GeoTrust
- Digicert
- Thawte
- VeriSign
- GoDaddy
- Network Solutions
You can choose any of these SSL providers for your business website. I suggest you have to talk with their support team before purchasing SSL certificate. Feel free to ask any questions about their services and supports.
How to install SSL correctly on any website?
Previously we had written an article about installing and setup SSL on any website properly using the website Cpanel. The step by step installing SSL show you to install SSL correctly on your site and fix the issues.
Read the article: How to install SSL correctly on any website?
How to Fix SSL Errors?
When the website is prefixed with HTTPS, it means that it uses SSL protocol. Any information you send to or receive from HTTPS site is encrypted, making it more secure. Some called it SSL Handshake. But why sometimes you get SSL Error? You can see some typical SSL errors on the below list.
- You website SSL is not working properly.
- SSL Connection Error Types.
- This connection is Untrusted.
- Your Connection is not Private.
- The sites security certificate is not trusted.
- SSL Connection Error and SSL Protocol Error.
- Server’s certificate is not trusted.
- This is probably not the site you are looking for.
- The server’s certificate security is not yet valid.
- Your connection is not secure.
Just comment us the problem you have with SSL. We will help you fix the issue quickly. Some SSL problems are from the server side, and some of them are from the client browsers and system date and times.
- Your website SSL is configured correctly.
- Your computer date and time settings are not correct. It may be two weeks, month or even years late or advance.
- SSL certificate name mismatch, usually its domain name issue.
- Untrusted SSL certificate.
- The website may contain harmful files.
- The SSL certificate is from an unauthorised certificate vendor.
- Antivirus might be blocking the website’s encrypted data.
- Firewall issue.
- The Browser might be the problem.
- Your browser imported all data from old Internet Explorer.
The final word; SSL is not necessary for all websites. Most businesses just force the login page of their website to use SSL. The regular pages are using HTTP without security.
