Best SSL Certificates in Nigeria
Choosing the right SSL for your website can be difficult work, especially when you don’t know about SSL certificates not to talk of the different types of certifications. SSL is an acronym for Security Sockets Layer. SSL is a kind of technology that is used to encrypt data transferred between users and the website. It is used to ensure that personal information and data do not get intercepted by malicious third parties. An SSL certificate is usually displayed in the address bar of a website, this informs users that the website has SSL certification enabled. In this article, we will discuss the different SSL certificates and how you can select the best one for your website.
Best SSL Certificates in Nigeria
To know the best SSL certificate to choose for your website, you must know the different types of SSL certificates. SSL certificates are classified based on the level of validation and the number of domains you want to cover with the certification. The encryption on all SSL certificates is equal, however, the level of validation differs.
SSL Certificates by Level of Validation
The validation you decide to go for depends on the size and reach of your website and also the type of information you plan to request from your users. There are three main types of SSL validation levels:
- Domain-validated certificates (DV SSL)
- Organization-validated certificates (OV SSL)
- Extended validated certificates (EV SSL)
- DV (Domain Validated) SSL
Domain-validated (DV) SSL is the lowest level of validation among the three validation levels. Certificate authorities (CA) do not inquire about the organization or companies running a website when issuing DV SSL certificates. The only verification they require is that the domain name belongs to the person requesting for a certificate. Since the certificate does not require an extreme verification process, it is issued almost immediately. It is also the cheapest SSL certification level. Some CAs even do this certification for free. The minimum amount of information required in this verification can be both a blessing and a curse. Some tech-savvy users might try to know more about the website owner through the information that is normally displayed at the top of a certified website. However, with a DV SSL, no real information is displayed and this can result in a lack of trust, especially for a website where users are required to give away sensitive information.
- OV (Organization Validated) SSL
Organization Validated SSL (OV) is the second level of validation on SSL validation levels. On this level, the verification process is more rigorous. For OV SSL, the CAs will need to verify both the domain and also the identity of the businesses or individuals that own the website, alongside other minor verification details. With this level of validation, users can get more information about the website owners, and this can help foster trust in the organization. The verification process of an OV SSL usually takes longer time, spanning into days, occasionally.
- EV (Extended Validation) SSL
This is the highest level of SSL certification available. In conducting EV SSL verification, CAs conduct deep background checks on the organization that owns the domain, even going as far as checking the legal backing of these domains, their physical location, and a lot more. The EV SSL gives you the highest level of certification and assures users of your trustworthiness. The only drawback to this certification is that it is very expensive and the verification process is very long, it might even take weeks.
SSL Certificates by Number of Domains
There are three main types of SSL certificates based on the number of domains
- Single-domain SSL certificates
- Wildcard SSL certificates
- Multi-Domain SSL certificates
- Single-Domain SSL certificates
As the name implies, a single-domain SSL certificate only covers a single domain and all the web pages on that domain. A single domain can have all three levels of validation, but it only caters to one domain.
- Wildcard SSL certificates
Wildcard SSL certificate is the most common type of SSL certificate in Nigeria. Like the single domain SSL certificate, the wildcard SSL certificate also caters to a single domain. The difference, however, is that, unlike the single-domain SSL wildcard, SSL also caters to all the subdomains registered under the domain. A wildcard SSL certificate can accommodate an unlimited number of subdomains as long as they are registered under the domain. It is scalable, so you can pile on subdomains as your domain grows. ModeWebHost offers a free Wildcard SSL certificate with each hosting plan.
- Multi-Domain SSL Certificate
The multi-domain SSL certificate can accommodate up to 100 different domains, even if they are unrelated. You can also protect wildcard domains under a multi-domain SSL certificate. This type of SSL is mostly used by large organizations with multiple websites. It saves time and money since all the domains and their individual subdomains are all protected under this SSL certificate. The issue with this type of certificate is that the security weakens with the domain added.
ModeWebHost Wildcard SSL certificate
The main SSL certificate offered by ModeWebHost is the wildcard SSL certificate. ModeWebHost offers both OV and DV wildcard SSL certificates. These SSLs are included in all ModeWebHost plans. Some hosting plans available on ModeWebHost include shared hosting plans, windows hosting, and WordPress hosting. Our hosting plans are very affordable, some as low as N300 monthly, and each plan comes with mouth-watering features.
Conclusion
No one SSL certificate is better than the other, it all depends on what you need. Generally, DV SSL certificates are most suitable for small blog websites that do not necessarily require much information from the users. OV certificates are for commercial websites that might require personal information like financial data from users. Finally, EV certificates are typically for large websites with multiple web properties. Choosing the right SSL certificate for your website or website does not necessarily have to be an ordeal. Once you have a vision for your website in terms of budget and size, with these guidelines you can easily make an informed decision on the best SSL certificate for your website.
