Free SSL Certificate may hurt your business
We all know that SSL Certificate is now a must for any websites. And it's actually Google that tells that, not me.
I have explained SSL Certificate in my other article called SSL Certificate Explained, including how you can get it for FREE. But today, let me deviate and talk about why you should still get the paid one, specially if you are selling and accepting payments online.
Free sounds pretty much enticing but knowing the advantages of the paid SSL certificate might change your mind.
Trust Level
Trust me, free and paid SSL certificate offer you a similar protection because both have the industry's standard encryption (256 bit). However, free SSL certificates only come with Domain Validation (DV).
Visitors to a website with DV certificates cannot validate the legitimacy of the business via the certificate, which made its trust-level low.
In terms of trust level, Organization Validation (OV) and Extended Validation (EV) SSL certificates are most recommended; but unfortunately, you cannot get them for free. Websites with OV or EV certificates were authenticated by real people from the issuing Certificate Authority to prove the legitimacy of their business, making these websites trusted.
Liability Protection
Let's be practical here. In the event of data breach, can you afford to pay for the possible fines or fees as a result of any legal actions from your website users? Okay, maybe you can afford, but why would you if there's someone who can pay it for you.
Another advantage of paid SSL certificates is the liability protection. Paid SSL certificates have warranty. This means you are ensured based on your warranty level in the event of data breach. Something that you can't get from free SSL certificates. Take Crazy Domains' SSL certificates for example:
Customer Support
Well, it's pretty much obvious, paid SSL certificates guarantee you a real human customer support if you run into any issues when setting it up.
So now, it's your choice. Free or Paid SSL certificate?