SSL certificates

Introduction. An SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate lets you secure a section of your website by encrypting the data transmitted over the Internet through your web pages (128-bit encryption). SSL certificates are strongly recommended if you ask your users to enter passwords on your website to sign in to protected sections. SSL certificates are mandatory if you ask your users to enter credit card details or other confidential information on your website. Ordering an SSL certificate with a hosting plan: you can order an SSL certificate when you order your hosting. Simply tick the "SSL" box when you are asked to configure your additional products. Please note that a dedicated IP address is mandatory for installing an SSL certificate, and must be ordered with your certificate. The purchase of the SSL certificate is valid for one year and includes its installation by a technician, within 48 hours of receiving your payment. Adding an SSL certificate to an existing hosting plan: to add an SSL certificate and/or an IP address to a hosting account you already have, sign in to the Client Area > My Account > My hosting plans > View details (of the account concerned) > Click to display the available add-ons (link at the bottom of the page). Order the dedicated IP address first, click "Continue shopping", click the "Add products" link at the top, order the SSL certificate and click "Checkout" (you should have the IP address and the SSL certificate in your shopping cart). Please note that adding a dedicated IP address to your website may cause a few hours of downtime. Installing/configuring the SSL certificate: the SSL certificate will be installed and configured by our technicians within 48 hours of your purchase. By default, the SSL certificate is installed on the www version of your website, so: https://www.yourwebsite.com. Note that this is an HTTPS (secure) link and not an HTTP (non-secure) one. If you want to install the certificate on the non-www version (e.g. https://yourdomain.com) or on a subdomain (e.g. https://secure.yourdomain.com), please open a support ticket before placing your order, giving us your configuration details. Using the SSL certificate: to use the secure version of your site, simply direct your visitors to your HTTPS link (by default: https://www.yourwebsite.com). Every access through the HTTPS address automatically uses the installed certificate and displays a small security padlock in the user's browser to show that the access is secure. All your pages/files in the public_html directory are available in both HTTP and HTTPS versions, so there is no need to move your files into a specific directory unless you asked for a non-standard configuration. SSL errors: if you receive SSL errors in your web browser, read the details of the error carefully. It may be that: 1. You are inserting images or JavaScript on your page that use the HTTP protocol instead of HTTPS. You can easily fix this by changing your image or JavaScript links to use the HTTPS protocol (e.g. if your link is < img src="http://mysite.com/image.jpg" > change it to < img src="https://mysite.com/image.jpg" > ) 2. Your certificate has expired! It must be renewed by paying your invoice in the Client Area 3. Your certificate is badly configured on your hosting; contact our support team in that case. Installing a third-party SSL certificate: you can have a certificate bought from a third party installed by one of our technicians by ordering our "Webmaster Help" service, available as an additional service in your Client Area.