Have a bunch of subdomains and are unsure of the best way to secure them? Might
we suggest a Wildcard SSL certificate? Or a cheap Wildcard SSL, specifically.
Wildcard SSL certificates are the ideal choice for encrypting your subdomains, and
with so many high-quality, affordable SSL certificates on the market these days, there
really is no point in paying more than you need to.
Read on to find out more about Wildcard SSL certificates and why cheap is the way
to go. First, let’s go over why exactly all sites these days need to have an SSL
certificate.
The importance of SSL
Having a site without SSL is pretty much akin to storing piles of sensitive documents
and cash all over your house and leaving the front door unlocked. If you have a site
that deals with purchases or processing any kind of private data, you’re leaving that
information vulnerable for prying third parties to see. An SSL certificate will basically
lock that door, encrypting the connection between your site’s server and a user’s
browser so that nobody but the intended parties can see the communications being
sent back and forth.
If you have subdomains linked to your site, then you should get a Wildcard SSL,
specifically.
Secure unlimited subdomains
A Wildcard SSL certificate secures a single domain and unlimited subdomains of one
level linked to it. For a site called example.com, a single-level subdomain would be
*.example.com. Some examples could include:
- blog.example.com
- login.example.com
- fr.example.com
- dev.example.com
- store.example.com
Once you install your SSL to the server, any subdomain you create later will be
automatically covered, so you don’t need to worry about fiddling about getting
certificates reissued down the line. Speaking of convenience, using just one
certificate for all your sites instead of one for each subdomain is way easier to keep
track of. Not only can you potentially save cash, but you won’t run the risk of missing
expiration dates and inadvertently finding yourself with insecure subdomains.
So now you know why you should get a Wildcard SSL. But why should you get a
cheap one?
Cheap doesn’t mean sacrificing on quality
No matter their price point, all modern SSL certificates on the market these days offer
the same 256-bit encryption. While it sometimes pays off to spend more on
something, SSL certificates aren’t one of them. Paying more doesn’t get you a more
powerful SSL than a cheaper counterpart — it’s basically just money down the drain.
Instead of focusing on price when choosing an SSL store to buy from, you should
instead examine that store’s reviews, customer service, and how trusted the issuing
Certificate Authority is. These are the things that matter.
Conclusion
For anyone with a website these days, SSL security has become essential. If you
have a site with multiple subdomains, there’s no better choice than a cheap Wildcard
SSL.
