SSL certificates, for when a padlock is not enough.
Every hosting plan already includes a free wildcard SSL certificate. These are the certificates you buy when you need your organisation verified, not just your domain.
Issued in minutes for domain-validated certificates. Business validation takes longer.
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You may not need to buy one at all.
Every Linux, WordPress and Windows hosting plan we sell includes a free wildcard SSL certificate, issued and renewed automatically. It encrypts traffic, turns on HTTPS and shows the padlock, which is all most websites ever need. Buy a certificate from this page when you need something the free one cannot do.
Prove who you are
A free certificate proves you control the domain. An organisation-validated or extended-validation certificate proves your company exists and has been checked by the certificate authority.
Carry a warranty
Paid certificates come with a financial warranty from the issuing authority: $10,000 on the RapidSSL certificates, and $500,000 on GeoTrust QuickSSL Premium Wildcard.
Cover more than one site
Multi-domain and wildcard certificates secure several domains or unlimited subdomains under a single certificate, which matters once you are running more than one property.
Validation levels
Choose your level of trust.
Every certificate encrypts traffic to the same standard. What separates them is how much the certificate authority checks before issuing, and how much they will pay out if they get it wrong.
Domain validated (DV)
The easiest and most common type. The authority checks only that you control the domain, so certificates are issued in minutes. This is what your free included certificate is.
Wildcard
Secures your primary domain and unlimited subdomains under one certificate. Most sites use subdomains for services like email, so this covers the whole site rather than one hostname.
Organisation validated (OV)
The authority verifies that your organisation genuinely exists before issuing. Visitors can inspect the certificate and see a real company behind the site.
Extended validation (EV)
The most thorough check the industry offers, with the largest warranties attached. Suited to ecommerce, finance and anywhere a visitor is asked to trust you with money.
Certificates
Every certificate we sell.
Prices are per year and exclude VAT. Two-year terms are available on every certificate at checkout.
Domain validated
Basic protection for a single primary domain. Issued in minutes.
£13.86
per year
or £25.48 for 2 years
- Domain validation
- Secures one domain
- Issued in minutes
- $10,000 warranty
Your primary domain plus unlimited subdomains, issued in minutes.
£115.03
per year
or £212.31 for 2 years
- Domain validation
- Unlimited subdomains
- Issued in minutes
- $10,000 warranty
A step up in warranty and brand recognition for a single domain.
£60.99
per year
or £112.72 for 2 years
- Domain validation
- Secures one domain
- Automatic authentication
- Issued in minutes
Wildcard and business validation
Unlimited subdomains with a business-level warranty behind them.
£215.40
per year
or £376.95 for 2 years
- Domain validation
- Unlimited same-level subdomains
- Issued in minutes
- $500,000 warranty
Organisation validated, so visitors can see a verified company behind the site.
£130.48
per year
or £247.83 for 2 years
- Organisation validation
- Secures one domain
- Company identity verified
Organisation validation across your primary domain and unlimited subdomains.
£346.65
per year
or £658.56 for 2 years
- Organisation validation
- Unlimited subdomains
- One certificate to manage
Extended validation
The most thorough vetting, for sites handling payments or sensitive data.
£223.12
per year
or £423.85 for 2 years
- Extended validation
- Secures one domain
- Highest level of authentication
DigiCert vetting and brand, with a substantially larger warranty.
£345.88
per year
or £657.01 for 2 years
- Website and email traffic
- 2048-bit encryption
- DigiCert issued
DigiCert extended validation for organisations that need the highest assurance.
£863.15
per year
or £1,639.83 for 2 years
- Extended validation
- Guards against phishing and fraud
- DigiCert issued
Enterprise
DigiCert Secure Site Pro, with the additional features of the Pro range.
£863.15
per year
or £1,639.83 for 2 years
- High-assurance certificate
- Added security features
- DigiCert issued
The highest authentication DigiCert offers, with the largest warranty attached.
£1,157.30
per year
or £2,269.04 for 2 years
- Extended validation
- Highest authentication available
- Protection against identity-targeted attacks
Why it matters
What an SSL certificate actually does.
SSL certificates establish an encrypted connection so data passes securely between a visitor’s browser and your website. Without one, everything your visitors type travels in the clear.
Encrypts sensitive data
Card details, passwords and form submissions are encrypted in transit rather than sent as readable text.
Protects visitor privacy
Encryption stops anyone between your visitor and your server from reading or altering what passes between them.
Turns on HTTPS and the padlock
Browsers show a padlock beside your address, and mark sites without a certificate as not secure.
Counts towards search ranking
Google has confirmed HTTPS as a ranking signal, so serving your site securely is one of the few technical changes that search engines reward directly.
FAQ
SSL questions
Do I need to buy a certificate if my hosting includes one?
Usually not. Every hosting plan includes a free wildcard SSL certificate that encrypts your site and enables HTTPS. Buy a certificate when you need organisation or extended validation, a financial warranty, or coverage across multiple separate domains.
What is the difference between DV, OV and EV?
Domain validation confirms only that you control the domain, and is issued in minutes. Organisation validation additionally verifies that your company exists. Extended validation is the most thorough check available and carries the largest warranties.
What is a wildcard certificate?
A wildcard certificate secures your primary domain and unlimited subdomains under one certificate. Most sites run services such as email or a staging site on subdomains, so a wildcard covers the whole site rather than a single hostname.
What does the warranty cover?
The warranty is a financial guarantee from the certificate authority that issued the certificate, covering loss caused by a mis-issued certificate. RapidSSL certificates carry $10,000 of cover and GeoTrust QuickSSL Premium Wildcard carries $500,000. The figure for any certificate is confirmed at checkout.
How long does issuance take?
Domain-validated certificates are typically issued within minutes. Organisation and extended validation require the authority to verify your company, which takes longer and may involve providing business documentation.
What happens when my certificate expires?
We will contact you before the expiry date so the certificate can be renewed and reissued without a gap in coverage. An expired certificate causes browsers to warn visitors away from your site, so renewals are worth acting on promptly.
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