{"id":32072,"date":"2021-11-22T15:00:44","date_gmt":"2021-11-22T14:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/?p=32072"},"modified":"2021-12-27T14:17:41","modified_gmt":"2021-12-27T13:17:41","slug":"how-to-choose-the-ssl-certificate-for-your-wordpress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/how-to-choose-the-ssl-certificate-for-your-wordpress\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Choose the SSL Certificate for Your WordPress Website"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The jury\u2019s been in a while back, and the verdict is well-known to most people who use the internet, and certainly, all who even aspire to build a website \u2013 safety should be a top priority. While websites can and often do a lot to make sure their visitors and the data that they share are safe, adding an SSL certificate to a website has become the very least anyone could do.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]There are plenty of ways to do it, too, if you have a WordPress website. You can install a <a href=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/how-to-add-free-ssl-certificate-wordpress\/\">free SSL certificate in WordPress<\/a> with a little help from our guide. You might solve two problems with one solution and <a href=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/add-ssl-wordpress\/\">add both HTTPS and SSL<\/a> while you\u2019re at it \u2013 again, with the help from our guide. Finally, you can install one of the many <a href=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/best-ssl-plugin-for-wordpress\/\">WordPress SSL plugins<\/a> and take care of the problem that way.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]Even though it all seems straightforward, you\u2019ll still have to make an important choice in the process \u2013 what type of SSL certificate do you want for your WordPress website?[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]We\u2019re here to help. We\u2019ll cover:<br \/>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;22px&#8221;]<ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\"><a href=\"#ssl-certificates-and-their-importance\">A Word About SSL Certificates and Their Importance<\/a><\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;5px&#8221;]<ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\"><a href=\"#the-different-ssl-certificate-validation-levels\">The Different SSL Certificate Validation Levels<\/a><\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;5px&#8221;]<ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\"><a href=\"#the-different-types-of-certificates\">The Different Types of Certificates<\/a><\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;5px&#8221;]<ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\"><a href=\"#how-to-choose-the-ssl-certificate-for-your-website\">How to Choose the SSL Certificate for Your Website(s)<\/a><\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;80px&#8221;][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id=&#8221;new-top-picks-banner&#8221;][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;80px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"qodef-h4\"><a id=\"ssl-certificates-and-their-importance\"><\/a>A Word About SSL Certificates and Their Importance<\/h2>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;21px&#8221;]<div class=\"qodef-single-image-holder    \">\n    <div class=\"qodef-si-inner\" >\n                                    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"969\" height=\"554\" src=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/A-Word-About-SSL-Certificates-and-Their-Importance.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"A Word About SSL Certificates and Their Importance\" srcset=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/A-Word-About-SSL-Certificates-and-Their-Importance.jpg 969w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/A-Word-About-SSL-Certificates-and-Their-Importance-300x172.jpg 300w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/A-Word-About-SSL-Certificates-and-Their-Importance-768x439.jpg 768w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/A-Word-About-SSL-Certificates-and-Their-Importance-620x354.jpg 620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 969px) 100vw, 969px\" \/>                        <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;38px&#8221;][vc_column_text]<strong>SSL, short for Secure Sockets Layer, was a protocol for encrypting information for network communication.<\/strong> We say that it was a protocol because it\u2019s now deprecated \u2013 its successor is called Transport Layer Security, or TLS, and it serves the same purpose. <strong>Because the SSL acronym stuck, we still use it today to refer to TLS. You can also say SSL\/TLS.<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]<strong>An SSL certificate is a file that resides on your server and contains all sorts of useful information.<\/strong> If you were to read it, you\u2019d find out which domain name it was issued for and by whom, when was it issued, when will it expire, as well as something called the public key \u2013 a cryptographic key used to encrypt data.<strong> There\u2019s also a hidden, private key there, that\u2019s used for decryption.<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]<strong>SSL certificates allow websites to communicate with the browser via encrypted connections. They also help in domain authentication.<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]<strong>The role of SSL certificates is important for at least two reasons. The first one is that you never know who\u2019s listening.<\/strong> There are all kinds of people on the internet trying to get other people\u2019s passwords, personal information, or credit card numbers. Websites that don\u2019t have an SSL certificate make their job easier because snooping on an unsecured connection might get them some useful, unencrypted information.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]<strong>The second reason is that there\u2019s a strong push towards SSL certification being a part of the standard kit if you have a website.<\/strong> To that effect, search engines have made it a point to let their users know that a website has an SSL certificate and is, therefore, safe(r), or that it doesn\u2019t, and is therefore unsafe. Users can still visit both, but they\u2019ll surely prefer the one that doesn\u2019t let a hacker get a hold of their personal information.<strong> That\u2019s the kind of website you should run.<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;68px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"qodef-h4\"><a id=\"the-different-ssl-certificate-validation-levels\"><\/a>The Different SSL Certificate Validation Levels<\/h2>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;21px&#8221;]<div class=\"qodef-single-image-holder    \">\n    <div class=\"qodef-si-inner\" >\n                                    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"969\" height=\"554\" src=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/The-Different-SSL-Certificate-Validation-Levels.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"The Different SSL Certificate Validation Levels\" srcset=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/The-Different-SSL-Certificate-Validation-Levels.jpg 969w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/The-Different-SSL-Certificate-Validation-Levels-300x172.jpg 300w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/The-Different-SSL-Certificate-Validation-Levels-768x439.jpg 768w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/The-Different-SSL-Certificate-Validation-Levels-620x354.jpg 620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 969px) 100vw, 969px\" \/>                        <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;38px&#8221;][vc_column_text]Because an SSL certificate contains some type of information about your website and its owner, the entity issuing that certificate needs to verify that information and sign it, putting their weight as a Certificate Authority behind the info that\u2019s there.<strong> You can also sign your SSL certificates and still enjoy some benefits of having them, but that practice is generally frowned upon.<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]So, when a Certificate Authority decides to vet your website, they can do that with a varying degree of vigor. That\u2019s why SSL certificates come in three different validation levels.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;72px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"qodef-h5\">Domain Validation (DV) Certificates<\/h3>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Domain Validation certificates require the most superficial check before they\u2019re issued. <strong>To get one, all you have to do is prove that you are entitled to use a domain name \u2013 that\u2019s all.<\/strong> The information will still get encrypted, and you can get one with little fuss, almost no paperwork, and at a lower cost. On the other hand, this type of certificate won\u2019t show who is behind the website, which isn\u2019t that great for building trust.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;72px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"qodef-h5\">Organization Validation (OV) Certificates<\/h3>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Organization Validation certificates require a bit more than domain validation certificates before they\u2019re issued. <strong>Besides proving that you have the right to use a domain name, you\u2019ll also have to provide the name and address of your organization.<\/strong> All that information will be available to people visiting the website, greatly enhancing the trust levels.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;72px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"qodef-h5\">Extended Validation (EV) Certificates<\/h3>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Are you the kind of person who loves lengthy checks that cost a lot of money and involve tons of paperwork? If you are, then acquiring an Extended Validation certificate might be just the thing for you.<strong> To issue this type of certificate, the Certificate Authority will rummage through all sorts of records to make sure your company is legally registered, that it\u2019s present on the address where it\u2019s registered and that all the information you provided matches those of the official records<\/strong>. Although time- and money-consuming, the process will yield the most trustworthy of certificates.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;68px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"qodef-h4\"><a id=\"the-different-types-of-certificates\"><\/a>The Different Types of Certificates<\/h2>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;21px&#8221;]<div class=\"qodef-single-image-holder    \">\n    <div class=\"qodef-si-inner\" >\n                                    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"969\" height=\"554\" src=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/The-Different-Types-of-Certificates.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"The Different Types of Certificates\" srcset=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/The-Different-Types-of-Certificates.jpg 969w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/The-Different-Types-of-Certificates-300x172.jpg 300w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/The-Different-Types-of-Certificates-768x439.jpg 768w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/The-Different-Types-of-Certificates-620x354.jpg 620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 969px) 100vw, 969px\" \/>                        <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;38px&#8221;][vc_column_text]Verification levels aside, SSL certificates can also be divided by how extensive their coverage is. There are three different types of SSL certificates based on this criterion.<br \/>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;72px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"qodef-h5\">Single Domain Certificates<\/h3>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<strong>A single-domain SSL certificate will be valid for exactly one domain. It won\u2019t cover any subdomain, but it will cover all the subdirectories.<\/strong> So if your website is www.example.com, and you have a single-domain SSL certificate for it, that certificate will also cover www.example.com\/about_us, but it won\u2019t cover blog.example.com.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;72px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"qodef-h5\">Wildcard Certificates<\/h3>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<strong>If you have a domain that has subdomains and you want a certificate to cover them all, you should opt for a wildcard SSL certificate. It\u2019s still valid on one domain, but you can use it on subdomains, too.<\/strong> So your blog.example.com subdomain will be covered, as will the root www.example.com, and support.example.com.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;72px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"qodef-h5\">Multi-Domain Certificates<\/h3>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<strong>For the most flexibility, you can opt for a multi-domain certificate which pretty much lets you list multiple domains on one certificate, covering them as well as their subdomains.<\/strong> So both blog.example.com and www.example.com will be covered, but so will www.anotherexample.com and anotherblog.anotherexample.com.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;68px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"qodef-h4\"><a id=\"how-to-choose-the-ssl-certificate-for-your-website\"><\/a>How to Choose the SSL Certificate for Your Website(s)<\/h2>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;21px&#8221;]<div class=\"qodef-single-image-holder    \">\n    <div class=\"qodef-si-inner\" >\n                                    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"969\" height=\"554\" src=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/How-to-Choose-the-SSL-Certificate-for-Your-Websites.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"How to Choose the SSL Certificate for Your Website(s)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/How-to-Choose-the-SSL-Certificate-for-Your-Websites.jpg 969w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/How-to-Choose-the-SSL-Certificate-for-Your-Websites-300x172.jpg 300w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/How-to-Choose-the-SSL-Certificate-for-Your-Websites-768x439.jpg 768w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/How-to-Choose-the-SSL-Certificate-for-Your-Websites-620x354.jpg 620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 969px) 100vw, 969px\" \/>                        <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;38px&#8221;][vc_column_text]Between the three types of certificates and the three-level of validations, you have eight possible SSL certificate combinations \u2013 you can\u2019t have an Extended Validation Wildcard Certificate. <strong>So when choosing, the two questions you want to ask yourself are the following:<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;22px&#8221;]<ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\">How much trustworthiness do I need to demonstrate to people who visit my website?<\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul><ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\">What\u2019s the structure of my website\/network?<\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]<strong>When it comes to levels of validation, the Domain Validation certificate is mostly good for websites such as blogs or portfolios.<\/strong> Their website doesn\u2019t require users to leave important information and they don\u2019t have to project the same level of trust as, for example, a bank does.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]<strong>If, on the other hand, you operate an online business, an e-commerce store, or even a website of a large multinational company, you should look into Organization Validation, and probably even Extended Validation.<\/strong> Trust signals are very important, and an EV SSL certificate is the best we have.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]<strong>As for the structure, the type you should choose is pretty obvious.<\/strong> A simple website with subdirectories and no plans to add subdomains could stick to a single domain certificate. If you want to add subdomains and don\u2019t plan to get an Extended Validation certificate, you can opt for a wildcard one. If you have a network of websites or want to use subdomains and get an Extended Validation certificate, choose a multi-domain certificate.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wondering what types of SSL certificates are there and which one&#8217;s the best for your website? Don&#8217;t worry &#8211; we&#8217;ll quickly explain you the choices. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9295,"featured_media":32097,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[59,34,176,4,13],"class_list":["post-32072","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-resources","tag-hosting","tag-security","tag-ssl","tag-tips","tag-wordpress"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32072","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9295"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32072"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32072\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32097"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32072"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32072"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32072"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}