SSL Certification

One of the most important aspects of an e-commerce website is the application of an SSL certificate, something which must be requested through a company’s hosting account. You are then provided with a Certificate Key and a Private Key which you must submit to a vendor who will verify your site and supply you with the rest of your details.You need to ensure that your website has a unique IP Address that the certificate can be assigned to.

Self-Signed Certificates

You can actually sign your own SSL certificate and save time and money without going through a certificate vendor. However using this method is not advised as you are technically just kidding your customers and yourselves. In the same way that signing your own driving license doesn’t make you a legal driver, signing your own SSL certificate doesn’t make your websitesafe for users – and this is a risky and dishonest way to treat your customers.

How much do they cost?

There are different certificates for different levels of encryption and varying server types. SSL certificates come in 40-bit, 128-bit and 256-bit  varieties, but as the 40-bit encryption has been hacked, be sure to get a higher bit certificate. For plesk users, you can find a good range of options by visting MyPlesk.com. You can find that subscriptions start at about £30 for a year up to about £500. You can also determine how many years you want it to last for – anything between 1 and 5 years.

An SSL Certificate is the way of proving you’re a legitimate, honest and open e-commerce business with nothing to hide. A proper SSL certificate may well be your key to ecommerce success.