A free SSL certificate with every plan
It is installed when the service starts and renews itself every two months. There is nothing to order and nothing to miss.
What the padlock means and what it does not
The padlock says one single thing: the connection is secure. Everything else people read into it costs them money every day.
- the seller is honest and will fulfil the order
- there is a real company behind the site, with an address and a registration number
- the goods you pay for will arrive
- the site is not hacked and is not serving malicious code
- your data is kept properly once it reaches the server
- your password and card number travel encrypted - anyone who intercepts them sees only meaningless characters
- the page reaches you unchanged - nobody along the way can alter it
- you are connected to this exact address, not to another server pretending to be it
The three types of SSL certificate, explained simply
DV, OV and EV differ only in what the issuer checks before it signs. The connection itself is protected the same way in all three.
The issuer checks one thing: that the domain is yours. It is ready in a minute and it is free.
Besides the domain, the issuer also checks that the company exists, against company register documents.
The most detailed check: address, phone and who is authorised to sign for the company.
Free or paid SSL certificate?
The difference is not the protection, it is the check before the certificate is issued. A free DV certificate covers what almost every site needs; a paid one makes sense in three rare cases. Here they are side by side.
| Free · with us | Paid | |
|---|---|---|
| Strength of protection | the same | the same |
| Padlock in the browser | the same | the same |
| Accepted by browsers | by all of them | by all of them |
| Benefit for Google | the same | the same |
| Is the company checked | no | yes, on the pricier ones |
| Company name in the details | no | yes |
| Insurance in case of a breach | no | yes, usually a large sum |
| Valid for | 90 days, renews itself | one year, renewed by hand |
When a paid SSL certificate makes sense
There are three cases where a paid certificate does something the free one cannot. If you are not in one of them, the free one is enough.
Large clients and auditors sometimes ask for a certificate where the issuer has checked the company against documents. Then the choice is not yours.
Banking, insurance, currency exchange. There the warranty that comes with the certificate can matter in a liability dispute.
With hundreds of subdomains, one paid certificate covering them all is sometimes easier to manage than hundreds of free ones.
If you are in one of these cases, write to us. We will find a suitable one and install it — but first we will check whether you actually need it.
When and how the SSL certificate is renewed
The certificate is valid for 90 days. We renew it 30 days before the deadline and retry every day until it goes through - which is why an expired certificate does not happen here.
Three common SSL problems and how they are solved
All three look like a broken certificate and almost never are. Here is how to recognise each one and what to do.
The certificate is fine. That page loads one file - an image, a font or a script - over an unsecured address.
A browser cannot secure only part of a page, so it removes the padlock from all of it. Its own wording for this is "mixed content".
<img src="https://vashatafirma.bg/logo.png"> ← right
It usually comes from an old article or a theme where the address is written by hand. Write to us and we will find the file.
If other devices show it normally, the cause is almost always a wrong date or time on that device.
Every certificate is valid for an exact period. If the clock shows a different date, the browser decides the certificate is not valid yet or has already expired.
Check the date and time and let them sync automatically. If they are correct and the error stays, write to us.
Our certificate covers both addresses - with and without www. When one of them errors out, the cause is the domain pointing, not the certificate.
The DNS record for one variant is missing or points to another server. It takes a minute to check.
Send us the address and we will tell you what is missing. If the domain is with us, we fix it ourselves.
Frequently asked questions about SSL certificates
The eight things people ask before putting a site on a secure address.
How much does an SSL certificate cost?
Nothing. It is included in every plan and installed when the service starts. It is not ordered and not renewed by you. If you ever want a paid one, we will tell you whether you actually need it.
Do I have to install the SSL certificate myself?
No. It installs itself, renews itself and covers subdomains. The only thing you might need is to point the domain at us — and we do that together.
Is a free SSL certificate weaker?
No. The protection is exactly the same — the same encryption, the same acceptance by browsers. The difference is only in what the issuer checks before issuing it, and whether there is insurance.
Does Google prefer paid SSL certificates?
It makes no difference. What matters is whether the site is on a secure address, not who issued the certificate. Anyone claiming otherwise is usually selling certificates.
Will the site stop working if the SSL certificate expires?
It will not expire — it renews thirty days ahead and tries every day. If it ever came to that, the site would work but the browser would warn your visitors — and that is bad enough.
Does the SSL certificate cover subdomains too?
Yes. Mail, the panel and every subdomain you point at us get their own. They are not counted and not charged separately, however many there are.
Can I upload my own SSL certificate?
Yes. You upload it from the panel — you need the certificate file and the key. Renewal stays yours, because the key is yours. We will remind you, but we cannot renew it for you.
Why is the SSL certificate valid for only 90 days?
A short life means a stolen key is dangerous for less time. That is why everyone is moving that way. With automatic renewal it makes no difference to you — it is only a problem when done by hand.
The browser says something is wrong?
Send us the address and what the screen says. We will tell you what it is and usually fix it the same day.