SSL Validation Levels
Three levels of SSLs correspond to the amount of protection the certificate provides. As the level increases, the CA requires additional documentation confirming that you own the domain in question and that you are a legal representative of the company.
As a result, higher levels of validation provide additional customer confidence in your website. The three levels, in increasing levels of validation, are as follows:
- DV(SSL-S, SSL-M, SSL-W) – Domain Validation (for blogs and personal sites)
- EV(SSL-E) – Extended Validation (for large businesses, agencies, and any sites with e-commerce or high-risk data)
- OV(SSL-O) – Organization Validation (for small businesses, organizations, and educational institutions, with or without e-commerce)
To choose the best SSL certificate for your site, you’ll need to consider the types of data your users will send through your website (as well as the types of information they will have access to on your site). You’ll also need to base your choice on how many domains you will need to secure.
1. Best SSL Certificate for small sites
If you have a small website or blog and don’t sell products or ask for private customer data, Domain Validation (SSL-S) certificates may be the best choice for you. These offer the lowest validation level. These certificates are best for websites with nothing more complicated than a contact form or comment box. SSL-S is also the quickest to install. They don’t require paperwork, and you can purchase and set one up in just a few minutes.
2. Best SSL Certificate for 3 sites
If you want to secure 3 domains with 1 certificate, SSL-M is the best choice. SSL-M certificates are used on websites with 3 domains, related or unrelated, or with similar domains registered in different countries. SSL-M can secure your main domain as well as several SAN (Subject Alternative Name) domain names in one Certificate. For example, you can secure all these domains with a single SAN Certificate:
- yourdomain.com
- yourdomain.net
- yourdomain.org
3. Wildcard Certificates for websites with subdomains
Wildcard certificates are appropriate for large organizations that have each department as a subdomain. With a WildCard certificate, you protect both your primary domain name and all subdomains of the domain. For example, a Wildcard certificate issued to *.mydomain.com can be used to secure any or all of the following hostnames:
- mydomain.com
- www.mydomain.com
- login.mydomain.com
- support.mydomain.com
- etc.
With Wildcard certificates, you can ensure that all of your subdomains are protected, no matter how many your organization may have.
4. Best SSL Certificates for Corporations and E-commerce Sites
Extended Validation (SSL-E) certificates are best suited for governmental agencies, e-commerce websites, and corporations that handle high-risk data such as health records, banking data, or social security numbers. This level of assurance is also crucial for e-commerce sites and any other businesses that handle high-risk financial, medical, or other sensitive data.
EV certificates provide the highest level of validation and security. After purchasing an EV certificate, the applicant must submit the documents required by the Certificate Authority as part of the verification process, and verify the company’s legal and physical existence and its telephone number. This process can take up to ten business days to complete.
If you’re running a prominent business or requesting customer details on your website, especially credit card information, it’s a good idea to go with an EV Certificate. The added trust factor from the highest-assurance SSLs and green bar assurance can be quite valuable. It demonstrates to your customers that your site is legitimate and that you value their privacy. While EV certificates are more expensive than other options, this level of assurance should help you increase sales, improve conversions, and build a strong relationship with your customers.
5. SSL Certificates for Businesses and Organizations
Organization Validation (SSL-O) certificates are ideal for small businesses and educational and nonprofit organizations that need a bit more non-transactional data from their customers.
OV certificates are ideal for websites with discussion forums or volunteer signups, or that request personal data such as addresses, biographical details, work schedules, or similar types of data. Small e-commerce websites that utilize PayPal or other third-party payment options can also benefit from an OV certificate.
For OV certificates, CAs must verify the company name, domain name, and other information using public databases. The issued certificate will contain the company name and the domain name for which the certificate was issued. Because of these additional checks, this is the minimum certificate recommended for e-commerce transactions as it provides the consumer with additional information about the business.
In addition to securing your site with encryption and an HTTPS address, with OV certificates, you can get a dynamic site seal to display to your customers —a visual mark of security that builds trust.
To obtain an OV Certificate, the process is a bit more complicated than with DV certificates. In this case, you’ll need to follow the Domain Control Validation (DCV) process. The CA will verify the legal and physical existence of the company for which the certificate will be issued—a process that can take up to three business days.