eCommerce SSL Certificate: 7 Options and Why Some Certificates Cost More

In Part 1 you’ve learned that an eCommerce SSL certificate is an essential part of your e-commerce setup and how to check if you are using it in your store (you absolutely have to). In this article I want to show several SSL certificates you can choose from, and the advantages of each so you can see why some certificates cost $30 per year and some cost $800+ per year.

Note: all certificates listed below are issued by industry leaders, support all major browsers and 256-bit SSL encryption so those features are not be listed in the descriptions.

Basic eCommerce SSL Certificate

A basic eCommerce SSL certificate will secure your login, registration and checkout pages. Nothing fancy, just doing what it supposed to do.

– Rapid SSL certificate (http://www.rapidssl.com)

• Issued by: GeoTrust
• Warranty: $10,000
• Seal: Animated RapidSSL banner; non clickable
• Advantages: Low cost, Fast issuance
• Disadvantage: low brand recognition, secures only one domain (ex: www.yourstore.com), seal/banner is not clickable
• Price: $30/year (one included at no charge)

 

eCommerce SSL certificate with a clickable seal

 

– Instant SSL by Comodo (http://www.instantssl.com/ssl-certificate-products/ssl/ssl-certificate-instantssl.html?ap=ce046)

• Issued by: Comodo
• Warranty: $10,000
• Price: $50/year
• Seal: clickable Comodo TrustLogo site seal with business identity information
• Advantages: Low cost, Comodo Seal
• Disadvantages: low brand recognition, does not secure subdomains, takes longer to issue (2-6 days) because of manual business identity verification process

 

– GeoTrust QuickSSL® Premium (http://www.geotrust.com/ssl/ssl-certificates-premium/) – this certificate includes GeoTrust dynamic True Site Seal trustmark with domain confirmation

• Issued by: GeoTrust
• Warranty: $100,000
• Price: $149/year
• Seal: clickable GeoTrust dynamic True Site Seal trustmark with domain confirmation
• Advantages: Fast issuance, Good brand recognition with GeoTrust trustmark, Secures two domains (ex: “www.yourstore.com” and “yourstore.com”)
• Disadvantages: does not secure subdomains, clickable seal does not show verified company information

 

– GeoTrust True BusinessID (http://www.geotrust.com/ssl/ssl-certificates/) – this certificate includes GeoTrust dynamic Secured Seal trustmark with business identity information

• Issued by: GeoTrust
• Warranty: $250,000
• Price: $159/year
• Seal: clickable GeoTrust dynamic True Site Seal trustmark with business identity information
• Advantages: Good brand recognition with GeoTrust trustmark, Secures two domains (ex: “www.yourstore.com” and “yourstore.com”),
• Disadvantages: does not secure subdomains, takes longer to issue (1-4 days) because of manual business identity verification process

 

– Symantec Secure Site by VeriSign (http://www.symantec.com/en/ca/verisign/ssl-certificates/secure-site) – this certificate includes Norton Secured Seal with business identity information

• Issued by: VeriSign
• Warranty: $1,000,000
• Price: $399/year
• Seal: clickable Norton Secured Seal with business identity information
• Advantages: Excellent brand recognition with Norton/VeriSign Secured Seal
• Disadvantages: more expensive, does not secure subdomains, takes longer to issue (2-6 days) because of manual business identity verification process

 

SSL certificate with a clickable seal and Extended Validation

 

– Comodo EV SSL (http://www.instantssl.com/ssl-certificate-products/ssl/ssl-certificate-ev.html)

• Issued by: Comodo
• Warranty: $250,000
• Price: $249/year
• Seal: clickable Comodo TrustLogo site seal with business identity information and Green address bar with company information
• Advantages: Low cost
• Disadvantages: low brand recognition, does not secure subdomains, takes longer to issue (10-15 days)

 

– GeoTrust True BusinessID with Extended Validation (EV)
(http://www.geotrust.com/ssl/extended-validation-ssl/) – this is a premium SSL certificate which includes GeoTrust dynamic Secured Seal trustmark with business identity information as well as visual confirmation in visitor browsers of the highest level of authentication available among SSL certificates. Web site visitors really notice when the address bar turns green in their browsers and the organization field starts to rotate between your company name and GeoTrust.

• Issued by: GeoTrust
• Warranty: $500,000
• Price: $299/year
• Seal: clickable GeoTrust dynamic True Site Seal trustmark with business identity information, Green address bar with company information
• Advantages: Good brand recognition with GeoTrust trustmark, Green address bar, Secures two domains (ex: “www.yourstore.com” and “yourstore.com”)
• Disadvantages: does not secure subdomains, takes longer to issue (10-15 days)

 

– Symantec Secure Site with EV by VeriSign (http://www.symantec.com/en/ca/verisign/ssl-certificates/secure-site-ev) – this certificate includes Norton Secured Seal with business identity information and green address bar validation.

• Issued by: VeriSign
• Warranty: $1,500,000
• Price: $895/year
• Seal: clickable Norton Secured Seal with business identity information, Green address bar with company information
• Advantages: Excellent brand recognition with Norton/VeriSign Secured Seal, Green bar
• Disadvantages: more expensive, does not secure subdomains, takes longer to issue (2-6 days) because of manual business identity verification process

 

In conclusion:

– if you just need a basic protection – RapidSSL will do the job for your eCommerce SSL certificate..

– next eCommerce SSL certificate upgrade is a certificate with clickable seal which will increased conversion rates by allowing your visitors easily verify your company identity. Instant SSL by Comodo provides very good value in this category but GeoTrust True BusinessID and Symantec Verisign SSL Secure Site have better brand recognition (but at a premium price).

– if you want the maximum visibility of high security, an eCommerce SSL certificate with Extended Validation is the way to go. It will turn visitor’s browser address bar green and show your company name there as well as provide a clickable seal to verify your company identity. I think GeoTrust True BusinessID with Extended Validation is the best option here offering a high brand recognition at a reasonable price.

I listed the most popular options used by our clients here but there are other options available, as well as wildcard and multi-domain SSL certificates which we’ll discuss next time. Personally, I prefer GeoTrust certificates – they combine good brand recognition with a reasonable price and excellent support.

Let us know if you have any questions about getting an eCommerce SSL certificate or want to upgrade to one of those certificates.