The lock in the browser does not mean the certificate was expensive. A free certificate that validates the domain name puts a normal site on HTTPS. EuroVDC web hosting includes free SSL. “Free means unsafe” is false for that lock.
A paid certificate is what you buy when the other party wants organisation validation on paper. This article does not print a price. The product page is live. Look at SSL certificates.
The free one is enough
- A site, a blog, WordPress, a small shop. The visitor should not see a warning in the address bar.
- The certificate is domain-validated. The company name does not have to appear inside it.
- If renewal is automatic, you do not upload a file by hand every 90 days. If automatic renewal is off, a free certificate warns too when it expires.
The paid one is asked for
- A bank, a marketplace or a corporate buyer requires organisation or extended validation. They want the organisation name inside the certificate, not merely the lock.
- You want many host names on one certificate, and the plan you are on does not issue that wildcard for free.
- The other party wants a written warranty letter. The free product does not provide that letter.
Two things people mix up
The lock does not prove who you are. The validation level the other party asked for does. If the free certificate on hosting covers www and the root name, a third host name is not covered by itself. Read the name list in the panel.
The lock is there and the warning remains
If a free certificate is installed and the browser still warns, the certificate is not “unsafe”. The names do not match.
- The certificate was issued for
wwwand the visitor opens the root, or the reverse. Those are two rows in the name list in the panel. - The page is HTTPS and an image or a form is still
http://. The lock shows, the content warning stays. - HSTS written before both names open cleanly locks the visitor into the warning. Open both names in a browser, then add HSTS.
A paid certificate does not remove that warning until those three are fixed. The paid one starts when the other party wants the organisation name inside the certificate.
Frequently asked questions
Does free SSL raise SEO?
A page without HTTPS shows a browser warning. Removing the warning does not buy a ranking. A paid certificate does not buy one either.
Is Let’s Encrypt enough for a bank?
Not if the bank did not say it is enough. Their required level is not the level you prefer.
If the certificate expires, is the site deleted?
No. The browser warns. The files stay. Renewal is not a restore from backup.
Is a wildcard the same price as one name?
No. There is no price in this article. The row on the product page is the one that counts.
