= SSL for Newbies =
This series of four articles is designed to give you an overview of SSL / Secure Certificates from a customer's perspective, rather than a technical perspective. If you are completely new to SSL, we suggest you start with Part 1 which explains what SSL is. If you already know what you need, feel free to skip ahead to Part 4 to order your certificate. If you have never purchased an SSL certificate before, Part 3 provides some valuable information that will help you avoid some common pitfalls
**Part 1: What is SSL / Secure Certificate
This article explains what SSL is and why you may need a secure certificate, and covers the following topics:
**Part 2: What type of SSL / Secure Certificate do I need
In this article, we discuss the different types of SSL certificates that are available for purchase, and why you may wish to choose one over another. Your choices include:
- Domain Validated Certificates
- Company Validated Certificates
- Extended Validation Certificates
- Wildcard Certificates
- Multi-Domain Certificates
Other types of SSL Certificates are available, please contact us via phone or Live Chat for assistance with ordering
**Part 3: Important Things You Should Know Before Installing an SSL Certificate**
The third article of this series covers important things you should know about SSL. Its goal is to help you avoid common pitfalls and to provide a better understanding of how the SSL process works. Before ordering an SSL, we recommend reading the following:
- SSL Requires a Dedicated IP Address
- Changing to a Dedicated IP Address Requires Time to Propagate
- Only One SSL Certificate per cPanel Account
- You Can Have More Than One Domain or Subdomain on an SSL Certificate
- SSL Certificates are Issued on an Annual Basis
**Part 4: How do I obtain an SSL Certificate
Our fourth article provides the steps for obtaining your SSL certificate. The steps are slightly different based on the type of SSL Certificate you wish to have installed
- Free SSL Certificate with Business or Enterprise Plan
- Order a Private SSL Certificate
- Order a Wildcard or Multi-Domain or EV SSL Certificate
- Install an SSL Certificate Purchased Elsewhere
