Upgrade Website Security: A Guide on Implementing SSL for Client Sites

on 31 Aug 2023, by Bogdan, in Blog, Cloud, Guides

by Bogdan

As web agencies, you must know beforehand that implementing SSL for client sites is an essential part of website security. Every client website you design needs SSL certification and this can positively impact their business. In this article, we’ll walk you through why it’s important to set up SSL certificates for client websites. We’ll cover the following:

Overview: How do you know a website is secure?
What are the types of SSL certificates
Why does your business require SSL certification
How does an SSL certificate work
How can a business obtain an SSL certificate

Without further ado, let’s kick off this journey with how to know if a site is secure.

How do you know a website is secure?

First of all, a website is just a digital platform for sharing information, conducting business, interacting with users, and a lot more. All the information within a website is usually stored on web servers and can be accessed by users through a web browser. During this exchange, it’s essential for businesses to share their site content with users over a secure HTTPS network.

The quickest way to know if a site connection is secure on the internet is to check for a small padlock icon in your browser’s address bar.

Note: SSL certificates usually put a padlock or a Secure label in web browsers. This tells users that a website is safe, their connection is private, and the information that they’ll share with your client sites will remain confidential.

Users can investigate a site’s SSL certificate further to verify its validity. There’s also additional information including the identity of the site owner, the certificate’s validity period, who issued the certificate, fingerprints, and a lot more.

For site owners, this is where the strictest focus should be placed in order to upgrade your website security accordingly. We’ll see why this is important. But first, let’s take a look at the different types of SSL certificates for better understanding.

What are the types of SSL certificates?

Typically, not all SSL certificates are the same. Different types of SSL certificates offer different levels of security and are best suited for different types of client websites. The choice of which type of SSL certificate you implement for your client sites will entirely depend on your client’s security requirements. Otherwise, SSL certificates are normally offered with three levels of validation (identity verification):

Domain Validated SSL Certificates

Domain-validated certificates are the most basic level of SSL certification. They are the least expensive certificates you can have especially if all you need is just an HTTPS layer and padlock.

Domain validation for this type of SSL certificate requires zero identity. To actually have one, CAs only require you to prove that you control the domain name. This can be done via a phone call or an email, and that’s pretty much there is to it. DV SSL certificates are best for blogs, or other non-commercial websites that don’t collect personal information from their users.

Organization Validated SSL Certificates

On the other hand, organization-validated (OV) SSL certificates are mid-level SSL options for websites that conduct business online and collect customer information. These can include ecommerce businesses(both medium and SMBs), online marketplaces, subscription services, travel and booking Websites, etc.

Simply put, this is the SSL certification you implement if you want to show customers you're serious about protecting your business's brand. For an OV SSL certification, CAs require proof of domain name ownership and that your business is registered and legally accountable.

Extended Validated SSL Certificates

Now, an extended validated (EV) SSL certificate is the most secure option you can implement for client sites. This type of SSL certificate requires a comprehensive verification process that validates the website's legal identity, physical location, and other critical details.

Websites with EV certificates display a green address bar with the company name in browsers, instilling strong user trust. EV certificates are favored by financial institutions and ecommerce sites, as they ensure both encryption and high-level identity assurance, making them essential for online security.

Other types of SSL certificates include the following:

Wildcard SSL Certificate: This covers the main domain and all its subdomains with a single certificate, ideal for sites with various subdomains.

For example, a wildcard certificate could cover www.brizy.io domain, and all its subdomains like www.brizy.io/wordpress-theme-builder, www.brizy.io/blog, etc.

Tip: This type of SSL certificate uses a wildcard character (*) in the domain name field.

Single-domain SSL Certificate: Secures only one specific domain. It’s suitable for basic websites or blogs.

Multi-domain SSL Certificate: Protects multiple different domains and subdomains under one certificate. It’s a great choice for businesses with a diverse online presence.

Why does your business require SSL certification

Typically, websites need SSL certificates for four main reasons:

To keep user data secure and confidential

If your website requires login credentials or collects user information, then you need SSL protection.

SSL encrypts and protects login credentials, credit card transactions or bank account information, personally identifiable information such as full name, address, date of birth, or telephone number, legal documents and contracts, medical records, proprietary information, and much more.

To verify ownership of the website

All businesses should at least be willing to put their identity on SSL certificates for their users to see. For this, you might need to upgrade to implement advanced SSL for client sites such as EV or OV SSL certificates.

It’s a requirement by browsers that sites have SSL certification

SSL certificate is required for an HTTPS web address. Without it, web browsers will often label HTTP sites lacking SSL certificates as "not secure." If you don’t want your site flagged as insecure, then ensure you’ve encrypted client sites with SSL to get an HTTPS web address and keep user activity secure.

To prevent malicious actors from creating a fake version of the site

First things first, it’s important to know that just looking at the padlock icon in the address is not enough to guarantee that your client’s website is completely secure. The reason for this is that most phishing sites today have a padlock and DV SSL certificate.

In fact, as of 2019, it was estimated in a study by the Anti-Phishing Group (APWG) that nearly 60% of phishing websites were using SSL/TLS connections.

One way to avoid this is to opt for EV or OV SSL certificates that require an identity check.

To convey trust to their users

Today, users are more concerned about data privacy and cybersecurity. By prominently displaying SSL certification in the address bar, your users will feel more secure and reassured. As a result, they will be more willing to share their details without having concerns about data loss.

How does an SSL certificate work?

The answer to this question is in the definition of an SSL certificate. The SSL (also, Secure Sockets Layer) certificate is a standard security technology that creates an encrypted internet connection between a client website and a browser (or between two servers). For starters, this is what is referred to as the SSL handshake and it involves the following two key steps.

Authentication

The authentication step is initiated whenever a user begins a new session on your website. Then, their browser and your web server exchange and validate each other’s SSL certificates.

You can describe an SSL certificate as an ID card that proves someone is who they say they are.

Note: This certificate is usually issued by a trusted third party, a trusted Certificate Authority (CA). The certificate contains information about the website's domain, as well as the public key of the website. This information is cryptographically signed by the CA, confirming the legitimacy of the website's identity.

SSL encryption

This step begins when the web server returns a digitally signed acknowledgment to start an SSL-encrypted session. For this, your server shares its public key with the browser. The browser then uses the public key it receives to create and encrypt a pre-master key. This is called the key exchange. Lastly, the server decrypts the pre-master key with its private key to establish a secure, encrypted internet connection used for the duration of the session.

For site visitors to your website, the process is instantaneous — lasting only for a few milliseconds.

How can a business obtain an SSL certificate?

SSL certificates are normally issued by a Certificate Authority (CA). For this, you’ll need to generate a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) file first. Certificate Authorities then use this CSR file you’ve created to issue an SSL certificate. A CSR is simply a file containing information about the client's organization and domain. You can create a CSR file via your web hosting control panel or server software.

Some of the popular, reputable CAs you can purchase certificates from include DigiCert, Comodo (now Sectigo), GlobalSign, and Let's Encrypt. Let’s Encrypt usually offers free certificates.

At this point, you should have already decided on which type of SSL certificate you need. This choice entirely depends on the security and validation requirements of your client.

Depending on the certificate type they opt for, the CA may require you to complete a validation process. For DV certificates, this often involves confirming domain ownership, while OV and EV certificates require more extensive organizational validation. After the identity validation is complete, you can:

Buy the SSL certificate from the CA. The price can vary depending on the type of certificate you've selected and its validity period (e.g., one year, or two years).

Install the SSL certificate on the client’s web server. Most CAs provide detailed instructions or support to help you with installation.

Then, configure your website to use HTTPS. This typically involves updating your web server settings or content management system (CMS) to force secure connections.

Test your SSL certificate using online tools like SSL Labs. These tools check if your SSL certificate is correctly configured and provides the desired level of security.

Obtaining an SSL certificate requires you to go through all of the above steps for every client website you design. This is a lot of work that you can skip when you outsource the help of website builders like Brizy White Label Website Builder.

Use Brizy to Build Fully Secure Client Sites

Brizy is a comprehensive no-code website builder that does all the heavy lifting for you. With Brizy, you can easily create fully secure, stunning, and professional websites that fulfill your client's unique and specific requirements.

The best part? SSL certificates come at no cost for every client project hosted on Brizy's servers. These SSL certificates are not only free of charge but are also regularly updated by Brizy to ensure they remain valid.

Note: It takes up to 24 hours for SSL in Brizy to completely install and propagate. This implies that your clients will be able to see the secure connection when they access your project.

Conclusion

By now, it's crystal clear that SSL certification is crucial for website security and user trust. These certificates encrypt data, verify website authenticity, and enhance your client’s online credibility. No matter the type of website or business, investing in SSL is a fundamental step in building a secure and trusted online presence.

Instead of manually installing SSL certificates for every client site, you can let Brizy handle everything for you. Brizy offers you the opportunity to easily churn high-quality, fully secure client websites that are SSL-certified. The SSL certificate is on the house.

Article by Bogdan

Co-founder & Head of Design, Bogdan has a passion for everything that works great and looks awesome. Guilty for most of the UI and UX around this place, you can say "Hi" to him at bogdan at brizy dot io

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