Best SSL Certificate Providers

An SSL certificate enables an encrypted connection and creates a link between a web server and a web browser. When an SSL certificate is added to your website, it would affect the website traffic positively. Visitors feel safe to use your website as it assures that the website is authentic and is safe to use. 

SSL certificate keeps the data confidential. Users feel confident to share their personal information. People tend to ward off unsafe websites as the information entered can be intercepted by a hacker. They know that their data is at a higher risk to get stolen. People thus prevent themselves from entering into unsafe websites.

The web browser forms a connection with the server when you visit SSL encrypted websites and binds the two. This binding connection secures the website and ensures the visitors that their information is safe. Even if the hacker tries to steal the information, they only get the cryptographic code and not the actual message.

What to think about once you buy an SSL certificate?

To choose the right SSL certificate, you need to be aware of certain things. The following are some of the factors to consider before purchasing an SSL certificate: 

• The kind of SSL certificate that you require: There are various kinds of SSL certificates such as single-domain, multi-domain, wildcard, and multi-domain wildcard. One should purchase according to his requirement.

• The brand name: One should purchase the certificate only from reputed authorities. The most trusted CA's include Symantec, Comodo, GeoTrust, Thawte, RapidSSL. Their trust seals are recognized worldwide by the users.

• Encryption level: Different levels of encryption are available. An SSL certificate with a minimum of 128 BIT is necessary to accept any credit or debit cards.

• Try it at once before you buy: If you are confused between a few CA's, the trial period can help you immensely. Certain certificate authorities such as Comodo offer a 90 days trial period to their customers. Customers can try their certificates on their websites during this period.

• Check out for additional features: Few of the SSL brands offer additional security elements along with the certificate. If you are confused about which brand to go with, this turns out to be a tie-breaker. Such tools are helpful to enhance your website security.

Top 5 SSL certificate providers for a secure website

• Comodo

Comodo is one of the most popular SSL certificate providers. It offers certificates from domain validated (DV) to Wildcard. It delivers trust site seals, money-back guarantees, and generous warranties. It is affordable and provides good customer support. The validation may take some time if the information to complete the checking process is not available online. It also offers a free trial period for the customers to check their certificates on their websites.

• DigiCert

DigiCert provides multi-domain security for any SSL certificate. It offers a money-back guarantee and is a premium SSL certificate service. Its longevity makes it more trustworthy as it is the parent company of many other known SSL certificate services. DigiCert identifies website vulnerabilities and keeps your business and customers safe. It has achieved accession to Norton's website security solution.

• RapidSSL 

Impressively cheap, RapidSSL is aiming at smaller and medium businesses. It provides encryption and industry-standard SSL certificates. Almost all phone and PC browsers recognize the certificate this company offers. It is instantly issued digitally. RapidSSL offers extended validation certificates and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Free assistance is rendered 24/7 by web and email.

• SSL.com

SSL.com is one of the biggest players in the industry. It provides money-back guarantees and warranties on all certificates. Customers are protected from fraudulent use of the certificate. Site trust seals are included and there is a fast assurance of certificates. It provides certificates within 5 minutes and pricing is also competitive.

• GeoTrust 

It provides powerful security protection for small businesses and large enterprises. It offers a comprehensive selection starting with domain level. GeoTrust covers SSL certificates, signing services, and SSL for business assistance. It sells encryption services to online merchants who want to have a secure connection. GeoTrust offers organization validation and Domain ownership Validation.

What next after finding the best SSL certificate provider?

One has to create a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) on the server to get the certificate. This process creates a personal key and public key on your server. The CSR file that you simply send to the SSL Certificate Authority (CA) contains the general public key. The CA uses the CSR file to make a knowledge structure to match your private key without compromising the key itself. The CA never sees the personal key.

You should install it on your server once you get the SSL certificate. You must also install an intermediate certificate to stabilize the credibility of your SSL certificate. It is then digitally signed by a trusted Certificate Authority. 

Anyone can create a certificate but the browsers wouldn't sanction them. The browsers only trust those certificates that come from their list of authorized CA's. The company must acknowledge the protection and authentication standards created by the browsers. Thereby, they are added to the Trusted Root CA store and become a Certificate Authority. 

When an SSL certificate is issued to an organization or website, a trusted third party has verified that organization’s individuality. The browser trusts the organization's identity as they trust the CA. The browser then lets the user know that the website is protected. Users feel safe while browsing the website and confident to enter the information.

Comodo SSL- Affordability 

Comodo is a highly affordable provider of SSL services. Its success has been the result of its aggressive pricing. It only costs $54.09 for a premium SSL solution for 5 years. A premium package includes encryption of 256-BIT. A fully validated certificate and a $250,000 relying on party warranty are offered in this package.

Comodo provides users with everything needed to keep your website secure at an affordable rate. No matter where the users choose to browse, they will experience security. Applicable for single domain name websites, the certificate will be issued within 10 minutes once you purchase it. The more money you will save if you opt to purchase this certificate for more years.

DigiCert- Advanced security

DigiCert is one of the most trusted SSL certificate providers. It helps to secure critical information like the address of the users or their card numbers. It is a great option for e-commerce websites. It identifies website vulnerabilities used in cyberattacks. This helps to safeguard your business and customers' information.

DigiCert automatically detects the malware across your website. Its digital certificate provides encryption of 2048-BIT. They offer the customers the maximum strength they can support. Compatible with all common server platforms, it provides free installation assistance and blocklist cheques. It always ensures the customers that the certificates get priority attention by their validation.

RapidSSL- Small business

RapidSSL is impressively cheaper and is aimed at smaller businesses that are more cost-sensitive. RapidSSL provides a single domain certificate for just $17.95 per year. It offers encryption of 128/256-BIT with a browser recognition that exceeds 99%. It enables authorization on most popular browsers and mobile browsers.

For just $149 per year, RapidSSL provides a wildcard certificate that has unlimited subdomains. It also includes a 30-day money-back guarantee and a warranty of $10,000. Certificates are issued within minutes and have unlimited free reissues for the lifetime of the certificate. It helps you to save money by offering multi-year certificate options. Hence, it keeps the website secure in the long run. 

GlobalSign- Enterprise businesses

GlobalSign is the best choice for enterprise customers. They are scalable and provide flexible solutions. They are focused on those customers who are looking to deploy highly scalable PKI solutions. It is a great choice to ensure internal and public servers for your company.

GlobalSign issues your certificate instantly as soon as you purchase it. It offers EV, OV, and multiple domain certificates. It also has complete certificate lifecycle management. It monitors the certificate and provides security on all mobile devices. It is most suitable for businesses that have to regulate numerous websites with numerous SSL certificates. It also traces all SSL certificates in one locality.