The length of time your SSL certificate is valid depends on the Certificate Authority you choose, and is typically between one month and two years. Most certificates are issued for an average of one year, but there are some cases where they can be valid for less or more time.
If your SSL expires while a visitor is on the site, they will be shown a warning message letting them know that the connection may not be secure. You should always remember to renew your certificate several weeks before its expiration date in order to avoid warnings being displayed (which could make visitors think twice about using your site).
The Difference Between SSL Certificates And Website Security
The first thing to know about SSL is that it’s a different thing from website security. They’re related, but they aren’t the same thing. SSL is just one of many things that contribute to a secure website.
SSL = Website Security?
You may be wondering if there are any differences between SSL and HTTPS or if they’re just interchangeable terms that mean the same thing. The answer is no—they’re not the same, but they do go hand-in-hand.
To understand the difference between an SSL Certificate and HTTPS, think of a car: a car has four wheels (that’s like your website), and each wheel has its own tire (those are your four components). If you have all four tires on your car, then your car can be driven; but if one of those tires goes flat, then you can’t drive it (and your site stops functioning). Each tire helps keep the whole vehicle running smoothly (and safely) so you can get to where you want to go.
That’s how HTTPS works with an SSL certificate—it keeps everything secure and ensures that information will be transmitted securely from point A to point B without any hackers or other bad guys getting involved in between!
Benefits Of SSL Certificates
As we’ve touched on earlier, SSL certificates offer two main benefits: encryption and authentication. These features make them
a must-have for anyone who collects sensitive data from users (payment information, personal details, etc.). But these certificates have other benefits as well—they earn you trust from visitors and can even help your website rank higher in search engines.
SSL certificates are designed for ecommerce websites. In most cases, an online shop will display products with prices and allow users to put items in their carts. If this sounds like your site, then an SSL certificate is a no-brainer: It’s an essential security feature that makes it possible for customers to share information securely with you.
Another benefit of SSL certificates is that they give you the ability to authenticate yourself as the owner of your domain name. This helps build trust with potential customers who are on the fence about whether or not they want to do business with you.
Finally, having an SSL certificate can boost your search engine rankings! Google has previously stated that their algorithm favors secure websites over those without SSL certificates because its goal is to provide its users with safe experiences when using their search engine service. Even if only a tiny fraction of Internet traffic gets affected by this small ranking factor, it’s still worth taking advantage of it—especially since obtaining an SSL certificate isn’t very difficult at all!
Understand How SSL Certificates Work
SSL certificates are digital documents that contain information about your website and the company behind it, along with a key to enable encryption.
How do you know if a certificate is valid? A web browser (such as Chrome or Firefox) will check the validity of an SSL certificate before establishing a secure connection. The browser looks at several factors — including the expiry date and whether the certificate was issued by a trusted CA.
Find The Right SSL Certificate For Your Business
If your business is serious about security and the perception of trustworthiness (and it should be!), you’re likely considering an SSL certificate. But with so many options available, how do you choose the right one? First, let’s cover our bases.
There are three types of certificates:
- Domain validated (DV)
- Organization validated (OV)
- Extended validation (EV).
There are also multi-domain certificates, which validates multiple domains that are fully or partially owned by the same organization. When deciding what type to buy, consider your needs.
Domain validated certificates offer basic encryption for small sites or blogs where a customer’s personal information isn’t collected.
Organization validated certificates offer higher assurance for sites that require more trust because they collect sensitive data such as credit cards or social security numbers.
Extended validation certificates provide the highest level of encryption and trust because they require proof of legitimacy from both the registrar as well as the certification authority before issuance. This certificate also provides a green address bar in browsers when properly installed and configured, further enhancing your customers’ sense of safety when transacting with your site.
Your Site Deserves A Strong And Affordable SSL Certificate
How long does an SSL certificate last? Once you have purchased and installed your SSL certificate, it will have a lifespan of one year. Once it expires, you will need to renew it in order to keep your website secure.
However, this is not the only thing that changes about your SSL certificate when it expires. It also becomes invalid – meaning that all traffic to your site will be blocked until the issue is addressed. Most browsers identify expired certificates as ‘untrusted’ or ‘invalid’. That means that visitors to your site will see warnings and may even be prevented from viewing your content. As well as creating a poor user experience, such warnings can also cause serious damage to the reputation of any business with an expired SSL certificate and hurt its chances of securing new customers.
To prevent ever forgetting to renew your SSL certificate, use Track SSL.
Track SSL
Track SSL is how you can stay up to date with how much time your SSL certificates have left before expiring. If you want to completely forget about worrying when to renew your SSL certificates, Track SSL has got you covered. We will notify you 60 days before your SSL certificate expires so you have a good heads-up about when to renew.
Create your free account, and start tracking your SSL certificates today!
Use our online tool to test the SSL certificate for free.