How do I secure my webspace with an SSL certificate?

All our web accounts come with secure web space as standard.  You are able to access this space by going to https://yoursite rather than http:// - and using the /httpsdocs folder, instead of /httpdocs.

It is highly recommended that if you are using the secure web space for anything other than a private storage area, you purchase your own SSL Certificate.  This is an online certificate that confirms that your secure web space on your domain is protected and is vital for peace of mind for your customers.  Basic certificates will display the secure area padlock in your customers web browser and allow them to access your secure web space without any error messages ? for instance, even though the secure web space that comes with your hosting is certified, the certificate was not generated for your domain name, and so will come up with an error message when you try to access it.  Note that this is not because the web space is insecure ? far from it! ? it is just that it is confirmed as secure by a certificate that has not been created for your domain name.

The process for purchasing and installing a certificate varied depending on the level of certificate you desire.  All certificates come with a ?site seal?, essentially a logo displaying the fact that you have SSL security on your site.  More expensive certificates allow you to have more advanced seals, for instance seals that display your company name or the time and date.  These certificates may require you to send various proofs of business identity to the company you are purchasing the certificate from before they will send you your certificate.

With all certificates, however, you need a Dedicated IP (see ?How can I get a dedicated IP? later in this knowledgebase) assigned to your domain.  Once you have done this, you will need to generate a Certificate Signing Request (CSR).

Your CSR is a block of encrypted code that contains information about the domain you are requesting the certificate for (i.e. domain name, email address, etc).  When you purchase your certificate, you send the CSR as part of the order process.  Once the order has completed you will be sent a block of code that represents the certificate itself.

To generate a certificate using Plesk, log on to your hosting control panel.  Click on the domain name that you want to purchase the certificate for (remember that you will need a dedicated IP before creating the certificate).  Click on ?Certificates? under ?Services?, then ?add new certificate?.

You may name your certificate as you wish ? this has no effect on the certificate itself, it is purely for admin purposes within the control panel.  Fill in your company details under ?Preferences? and then click on ?request?.  You then need to click on your certificate name ? if you scroll down, you will find the CSR code.  This will need to be copied into your order form when you are purchasing the certificate.

All order forms contain sample CSR?s and you will need to compare the ?Begin? and ?End Certificate Request? sections to ensure they are the same in your CSR and the sample CSR (they are sometimes formatted differently between companies).

You will have to log in to your billing control panel to complete the order.  Click on ?My Sites - Packages? - you should see your certificate listed.  Click on the certificate, then ?Start Order? and ?Begin Certificate Request?.  Follow the instructions in the order form - and, as mentioned above, ensure that the CSR has the same message at the start and end of the code (in Plesk, it generates the CSR with ----- BEGIN CERTIFICATE REQUEST ----- and it needs to be NEW CERTIFICATE - if you get it wrong the form will error!

You will also need to make sure that you have an email address set up on the domain.  A list of addresses will be presented to you during the order.  An email is sent to this address to approve the certificate request so you must ensure the email address is available and working before submitting your request.  Further instructions relating to your SSL order will be provided in emails from GeoTrust.

Once you have been sent the complete certificate code, paste the full certificate code into the ?Upload certificate as text ? Certificate? section, and then click on ?Send Text?.  Your certificate is now installed.  You will now need to click on ?Setup? for your domain, and select the certificate you have just created from the drop down menu near the top of the page.  Ensure that SSL support is on, and that it is set how you wish to use it (if you want secure and unsecure content to run from the httpdocs folder, select the second option, otherwise leave it unchecked) then click on ?OK?.

We will undertake this installation process for you for a flat fee of ?25 exc. VAT.  This fee will be charged for the first year, and then charged at ?25 exc. VAT for renewing the certificate in subsequent years.  The renewal is optional ? if you feel you want to do it yourself, you are more than welcome ? we?ll only do the renewal if you ask!