What Is an SSL Certificate? Types, Benefits and Setup (2027 Guide)

March 8, 2013 • vps9 admin

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What is a SSL?

The most important thing in running an online business requires security of the resources and for security most people spend their time to search a reliable web hosting services. Specially when the transaction is just so important like in the case of valuable and sensitive personal data being transferred over the internet, if that data lands in the wrong hands, the results could be disastrous.

SSL which is also known as Secure Socket Layer technology is been developed to protect data online when it is being transferred from one website to another. When the data is in transit, it is susceptible to hack attempts, and SSL makes sure that no third party is able to access this critical data.

A SSL is necessary for sites which deals with online money and bank transactions like online stores, ecommerce websites, auction sites etc. It is important because it is one of the most reliable means to safeguard the privacy and safety of your customer’s private data with secure transaction of every bit online. Due to intruders attacks and malicious scripts clients look for SSL certificate enabled sites when buying anything online. They do not trust any website to be legitimate unless the site clearly states that it is SSL secure.

How SSL/TLS Works

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) and its modern successor TLS encrypt the connection between a visitor’s browser and your web server. When a site has a valid certificate, the browser shows a padlock and the address starts with https. The certificate proves the site’s identity and lets both sides agree on encryption keys, so passwords, forms and payments cannot be read in transit.

Why Every Website Needs HTTPS

  • Security: protects logins, forms and checkout data from interception.
  • Trust: browsers warn visitors about sites without HTTPS, which hurts conversions.
  • SEO: HTTPS is a confirmed, lightweight ranking signal and a baseline for a quality site.
  • Compliance: payment and privacy rules expect encrypted connections.
  • Modern features: many browser features and HTTP/2 require HTTPS.

Types of SSL Certificates

By validation level

  • Domain Validated (DV): confirms you control the domain. Fast and low-cost, ideal for blogs and most business sites.
  • Organization Validated (OV): also verifies the organization behind the site.
  • Extended Validation (EV): the strictest vetting, used by banks and large e-commerce.

By coverage

  • Single domain: secures one hostname.
  • Wildcard: secures a domain and all its subdomains.
  • Multi-domain (SAN): secures several different domains with one certificate.

How to Get and Install an SSL Certificate

  1. Choose a certificate. Free DV certificates from Let’s Encrypt are enough for many sites, and cPanel can issue them with AutoSSL.
  2. Generate or request it through your control panel or certificate authority.
  3. Validate your domain by DNS or file check.
  4. Install the certificate on your server or hosting account.
  5. Redirect HTTP to HTTPS and update internal links.
  6. Test it with an online SSL checker and confirm there is no mixed content.

Common SSL Problems

  • Certificate expired: turn on auto-renewal and monitor expiry dates.
  • Mixed content warnings: change http links for images, scripts and styles to https.
  • Name mismatch: the certificate must cover the exact hostname, including www.
  • Incomplete chain: install the intermediate certificates too.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a free SSL certificate good enough?

For most sites, yes. Paid certificates add organization validation, warranty and support.

Does SSL slow my site down?

Not noticeably. With HTTP/2 and modern servers, HTTPS is often faster.

Where can I host an HTTPS site with full control?

On a VPS you can install and automate certificates yourself. See our WordPress VPS hosting and VPS plans.

Pro Tips and Best Practices

Automate renewal

Use AutoSSL or certbot so certificates renew without manual work.

Redirect everything to HTTPS

Add a site-wide 301 from http to https and choose one canonical hostname.

Enable HSTS carefully

HSTS tells browsers to always use HTTPS. Turn it on once everything works.

Fix mixed content

Update hard-coded http links in content, themes and plugins.

Monitor expiry

Add an alert for certificates expiring within 14 days.

Use modern TLS

Disable old protocols such as TLS 1.0 and 1.1 on your server.

Explore more help in our hosting blog, compare our best VPS hosting plans, or contact our team if you would like help applying these steps on your server.