With so many SSL certificate options to choose from, including Domain Validation and Extended Validation, it can be hard to know which one to select. There are various types of certificates and selecting the right one can result in either paying for features that a small website might not need or not investing enough in a certificate to protect a business that processes sensitive transactions. Standard certificates are the basic certificates, indicating domain ownership, while premium certificates, like Organization Validation and Extended Validation certificates, are certificates that indicate the legal identity of the business behind the website. Knowing these differences is a good starting point to making a decision that meets budget and risk tolerance.
1. Level of Verification
Standard certificate is only for the purpose of confirming that the applicant has control of the domain. Premium SSL options take it a step further, and they will need to have documentation to prove the legal existence and physical location of the business that is applying for the certificate. The additional vetting process results in a higher quality certificate and a longer time to issue, but a better level of assurance to the visitor as to who is operating the site.
2. Visitor Trust Signals
When using Standard certificates, visitors will view the padlock and HTTPS prefix, but no company information will be shown. Cautious customers will be more confident to enter payment details if the verified business name is highlighted in the certificate details, as would be done with Premium SSL, especially Extended Validation. For this reason, businesses that heavily depend on the trust of their first-time visitors tend to opt for premium solutions.
3. How fast to get them?
Standard certificates are issued almost immediately and are much cheaper and are perfect for blogs, portfolios or small business websites on a tight budget. Premium certificates are manual and take several days to verify and are usually much more expensive, as it is more time consuming to verify business legality.
4. Ideal Use Cases
For informational websites, personal blogs or small businesses that don’t handle large amounts of sensitive transactions, Standard SSL suits are the right choice. For financial institutions, healthcare providers, and e-commerce platforms that deal with sensitive financial transactions or health data, Premium SSL is the ideal choice, ensuring that customers feel secure in providing their financial information or health data.
5. Ongoing Maintenance
Standard certificate is easy to renew and maintain, and typically only involve a simple domain check. Some premium certificates may require businesses to submit documentation on a regular basis to keep the certificate valid, which can create an administrative burden for some businesses.
Conclusion
The question of which SSL is better, Standard SSL versus Premium SSL, can’t be answered with a single answer as it depends on the website’s goal and the level of trust that needs to be established with its users. For smaller sites with less stringent security requirements, Standard certificate will be adequate, but for businesses that deal with sensitive information or are looking for the highest level of trust, the extra security provided by Premium certificates may be worth the investment. The best way to get to the right certificate for you is to evaluate your traffic, industry and customer expectations.