With the rise of cybercrime activities, an SSL Certificate has become essential, not only for data protection on your website but also for building trust with your customers.

An SSL Certificate is a layer of security you can add to your website to secure any data transferred between you and your website visitors.

A padlock symbol will display in your website’s URL to show visitors that you’ve secured the connection between their browser and your hosting server.

Choosing the right SSL Certificate for your business website can help ensure security, trust, and compliance.

Below is a breakdown of the different types of SSL Certificates and their purposes to help you make the best choice.

1. Domain Validated (DV) SSL Certificate

A DV SSL Certificate is a cost-effective option that verifies domain ownership quickly for basic website encryption needs.

It enhances SEO, builds visitor trust by displaying HTTPS security, and meets compliance requirements for some industries, despite lacking the extensive validation of higher-level certificates.

A DV SSL is ideal for small business websites, portfolios, blogs, online resumes, personal branding sites, hobby sites, and event/project websites.

It is affordable and provides the basic 256-bit encryption these types of sites need.

2. Organization Validated (OV) SSL Certificate

An OV SSL Certificate offers a higher level of trust and professionalism compared to a DV Certificate.

It involves rigorous validation of domain ownership and the organisation’s details, boosting security and complying with industry standards.

OV Certificates also offer SEO benefits, making them a preferred choice for businesses seeking greater credibility.

E-commerce and business websites, especially those handling sensitive customer information like payment details and personal data, should opt for an OV SSL Certificate.

Its meticulous validation process builds greater trust and confidence, showing customers that your site is authenticated and linked to a legitimate business entity.

3. Extended Validation (EV) SSL Certificate

An EV SSL Certificate is the ‘queen’ of SSL-validation. It undergoes a stringent vetting process to verify an organization’s identity, legal status, and operational existence.

Websites with this certificate display a green address bar in browsers, indicating a highly secure connection and instilling maximum trust in online visitors.

Enterprises dealing with high-value transactions, financial services, and sensitive data should choose an EV SSL Certificate to match their high security needs.

EV certificates provide visible assurance of authenticity and security, which is crucial for customer trust.

4. Wildcard SSL Certificate

A Wildcard SSL Certificate is an encryption for both a primary domain and any subdomains.

For instance, if your primary domain is www.example.com, a Wildcard Certificate also secures blog.example.com, shop.example.com, and any other subdomains.

Businesses with multiple subdomains can benefit from a Wildcard SSL Certificate, which secures all subdomains under one certificate.

This approach is both comprehensive and cost-effective for managing your site’s encryption.

There are additional specific SSL Certificates, such as Self-Signed, Server-Gated Cryptography (SGC), Subject Alternative Name (SAN), and Code Signing.

You can learn more about these in our Knowledgebase: What are the Different Types of SSL Certificates.

Selecting the right SSL Certificate ensures your website is secure and trusted, and caters to the specific needs of your business and its visitors.

For more information, visit Domains.co.za.