Protect your subdomains with a cheap Wildcard SSL Certificate

For anyone with subdomains, the question of how best to keep them safe and secure is a big one, especially when it comes to SSL certificates. With so many to choose from, how do you know your choice is the right one?

In this article, we’ll be making a case for choosing a cheap Wildcard SSL certificate.

What is a Wildcard SSL certificate, and when do I need one?

When you install a Wildcard certificate on your site, it will encrypt the connection to and from not only your domain but all subdomains of one level linked to it. What exactly does a subdomain look like? Let’s say you have a website called example.com. Then a subdomain of one level would look like: *.example.com. For instance:

• blog.example.com
• store.example.com
• login.example.com
• mail.example.com
• fr.example.com
• sandbox.example.com

There are numerous reasons why you might want to add subdomains to your site, from separating foreign language versions to creating sandbox testing environments.

When you have subdomains, it can be tough to know the best way to secure them. Wildcard certificates are ideal because you can protect your main domain and unlimited subdomains under a single certificate. Don’t have subdomains yet but think you might add some in the future? No problem! Wildcard SSLs protect any future subdomains you add automatically, so you won’t even have to think about it. Another advantage to choosing a Wildcard over securing each subdomain with separate certificates is convenience. It’s far easier to keep track of the expiration date of one SSL than several.

So why go for a cheap Wildcard SSL certificate? Well….

SSL price does not indicate quality

SSL certificates tend to come at varying price points, making choosing one even more confusing for potential buyers. Are the expensive options better than the more affordable options? Not typically, no. When it boils down to it, all SSL certificates are created with the same encryption strength, so you’ll be getting the same level of protection no matter what price your SSL is.

There are other essential factors you should be considering other than price. For instance, is the issuing Certificate Authority trusted by major web browsers? When it comes to the SSL shop itself, does it have a good track record? How’s their customer service? Will you be able to get the help you need if anything goes wrong. For the most part, cheap SSL providers tend to be on par with more expensive ones when it comes to these issues.

Wrap up

Hopefully, if you’re an owner of subdomains (or want to be in the future), this article helped you somewhat on your SSL journey. SSL encryption is so important, but why pay more when you don’t have to? So get yourself a quality, cheap Wildcard SSL Certificate today.