An SSL certificate secures online payments and customer data
An SSL certificate protects the private information you collect from your customers such as credit card details, passwords, and logins. It is an easy and cost-effective way to legitimise your website whilst protecting your site against phishing, and boosting your search engine ranking.
* Every domain name registered with us comes with free email and a free InstantSSL certificate.
Free SSL certificate free with every domain name
We believe in a secure Internet and we’re striving to ensure that the threats that exist are recognised and controlled. It’s vital to us that our customers are protected and fully informed, so they can secure their data and that of their customers. To this end, we’re giving a free SSL certificate (InstantSSL DV, non-wildcard) with every domain name you have registered with us.
InstantSSL offers basic protection, but for those of you needing super-protection, you can take a look at our SSL certificate comparison chart and choose one to suit your business and your customers.
Why you should choose a EuroDNS SSL certificate
You'll get the highest levels of security the industry offers. Our certificates work with the majority of browsers and devices, and they protect an unlimited number of servers. Our partner and Certificate Authority, Sectigo, has over 20 years’ experience. It will only issue an SSL certificate once a company's completed rigorous validation. Here’re more reasons why you should choose our certificates.
- Each SSL certificate includes the SHA-2 algorithm (SHA-1 certificates are now vulnerable and raise an alert in most browsers), and 2048-bit issuing authority.
- Our IPv6 infrastructure ensures the fastest site load speed in the industry.
- Phishing alerts of potential attacks, so website owners can regain control of their sites quickly.
- Our SSL certificates are compatible with all popular browsers, applications, and devices.
- There’s a wildcard option with Domain, and Organisation certificates which means you can use the certificate on an unlimited number of subdomains and servers.
- Cool bonus! Google have stated that a website secured with SSL (https) will have an improved search ranking.
What’s an SSL certificate?
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is a protocol for website security. It protects online communication and transactions using the strongest encryption available. An SSL certificate validates the identity of your website, rather like a passport. Once activated it displays a padlock icon and https:// in your URL. These trust indicators let your customers know that your site is genuine, protected, and private.
Why use SSL?
As an online retailer, it’s your duty to protect the information that your customers share with you. An SSL certificate on your website scrambles or encrypts the traffic between a web server and a web browser. This means your customers' personal information is secure. Without SSL, any computer can intercept and steal credit card numbers, usernames, and passwords.
Google has stated that HTTPS will be a ranking signal. Excellent news - it means your website’s page ranking will be boosted if you have an SSL certificate.
Which websites need SSL?
All of them, but some sites are more vulnerable than others such as financial institutions, big-name brands, and government entities. You must use SSL protection if your website is PCI compliant and accepts payment cards, or does any of the following:
- Banking sites asking for financial information.
- If your website accepts payment cards (American Express, Diners Club International, MasterCard, Visa. Including credit, debit, prepaid, and gift cards), you have to comply with the credit card associations' rules about data security. The goal being to protect cardholder data. This has been standardised under the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). If you don’t use an SSL certificate on your website, you won’t be complying with the PCI standards.
- Your website asks customers to provide personal or sensitive information such as email addresses, social security numbers, medical records, and passport numbers.
- You have login forms on your website asking users to enter their username and password.
- Your site provides webmail where users can login and read email in a secure environment.
- There are subscription pages for newsletters, mailing lists, etc.
What's a wildcard SSL certificate?
The wildcard applies to the InstantSSL DV, Domain, and Organisation SSL certificates. The certificates are issued for the domain name specified in the initial application. If you buy a wildcard with one of these three certificates, it means that the common name specified is *.yourdomainname.com. You can then use the certificate on an unlimited number of subdomains and servers. You also have the option to add in the future.
If you need to secure multiple subdomains on a single domain name, you can buy a wildcard. For a wildcard SSL certificate, a common name of *.yourdomainname.com would secure www.yourdomainname.com, mail.yourdomainname.com, secure.yourdomainname.com, etc...
What’s a Certificate Signing Request (CSR)?
To complete the application for your SSL certificate you need to generate a CSR and submit it to our Certificate Authority (CA). The CSR contains text that's been encrypted and includes details of your application: company name, domain name, location, email address. Plus, your public and private keys will be generated. Your public/private keys are for encrypting/decrypting all online communication and transactions between you and your customers. To ensure your website traffic stays secure, you must keep your private key a secret. Once our CA receives and confirms your details, it will issue your SSL certificate.
How do I generate a Certificate Signing Request (CSR)?
Our Certificate Authority provides an SSL certificate Request Helper which will create your CSR. This tool allows you to generate the CSR for OpenSSL, Microsoft Exchange 2007, Microsoft Exchange 2010, Java Keytool, F5 Big-IP, and Microsoft IIS
Please note that if you’re generating a CSR for a wildcard SSL certificate, your common name must start with an asterisk (*), i.e., *.eurodns.com. The asterisk represents any subdomain name.
How do I activate my SSL certificate?
Check out our support article for easy activation of your SSL certificate. It can be done during domain name registration or from the product page. The simple activation steps apply to whichever SSL certificate you choose, free or purchased.
What’s the SHA-2 cryptographic hashing algorithm?
Every SSL certificate has a digital signature based on a one-way cryptographic hashing algorithm. In non-geeky terms it’s a secret code that works as a security mechanism to check the integrity of data. For a decade, the SHA-1 was the algorithm of choice. But, it hasn’t kept up with technology and is now vulnerable to attack. Websites that have SSL certificates with SHA-1 will trigger an alert message that warns that the site is unsafe. Those pesky hackers broke the code! All our SSL certificates have the SHA-2 algorithm. If you’re a bit of a techie you might be interested in reading about SHA-1 upgrading to SHA-2 on our blog.
Will adding an SSL certificate to my website slow it down?
No. The SSL certificates we provide will accelerate your website load speed. When a user visits your website, their browser asks for proof of the validity of your certificate. It’s an automated process and ensures your website loads faster and visitors aren’t left hanging.
Why do Extended Validation certificates take longer to issue?
It’s because the audit and validation process for the EV SSL certificate isn’t automated and the background checks are meticulous. It’s the price you pay for super-protection, but it’s worth it.
