A Beginner's Guide to Obtaining and Installing an SSL Certificate

SSL/TLS & Certificates 69 chapters

Table of Contents

  1. What is an SSL Certificate and Why Your Website Needs One
  2. The Evolution from HTTP to HTTPS
  3. Why SSL Certificates Have Become Non-Negotiable
  4. The Real-World Impact of Not Having SSL
  5. Types of Data Protected by SSL Certificates
  6. The Business Case for SSL Implementation
  7. Preparing for Your SSL Journey
  8. Understanding Different Types of SSL Certificates
  9. Domain Validated (DV) SSL Certificates
  10. Organization Validated (OV) SSL Certificates
  11. Extended Validation (EV) SSL Certificates
  12. Wildcard SSL Certificates
  13. Multi-Domain (SAN) SSL Certificates
  14. Choosing the Right Certificate Type
  15. Special Considerations and Advanced Options
  16. How to Choose the Right SSL Certificate for Your Website
  17. Assessing Your Website's Security Requirements
  18. Evaluating Certificate Authority Options
  19. Understanding Total Cost of Ownership
  20. Technical Considerations and Compatibility
  21. Future-Proofing Your Certificate Strategy
  22. Making the Final Decision
  23. Where to Get SSL Certificates: Comparing Free vs Paid Options
  24. Let's Encrypt: The Free SSL Revolution
  25. Commercial Certificate Authorities: Premium Features and Support
  26. Specialized Certificate Providers and Niche Options
  27. Comparing Costs: Beyond the Sticker Price
  28. Choosing Between Free and Paid: Decision Framework
  29. Implementation Considerations for Different Providers
  30. Future Trends in Certificate Availability
  31. Installing SSL Certificates on Popular Hosting Platforms
  32. Installing SSL on cPanel Hosting
  33. WordPress-Specific SSL Installation
  34. Cloud Platform SSL Deployment
  35. VPS and Dedicated Server Installation
  36. Shared Hosting Considerations
  37. Platform-Specific Tools and Automation
  38. Troubleshooting Installation Issues
  39. Common SSL Errors and How to Fix Them
  40. NET::ERR_CERT_DATE_INVALID - Certificate Expiration Errors
  41. NET::ERR_CERT_COMMON_NAME_INVALID - Name Mismatch Errors
  42. ERR_CERT_AUTHORITY_INVALID - Trust and Chain Issues
  43. Mixed Content Warnings
  44. ERR_SSL_PROTOCOL_ERROR - Connection and Protocol Issues
  45. Certificate Revocation and OCSP Errors
  46. Platform-Specific SSL Errors
  47. SSL Certificate Renewal and Management Best Practices
  48. Establishing a Certificate Inventory System
  49. Renewal Strategy and Automation
  50. Security Monitoring and Compliance
  51. Key Management and Protection
  52. Certificate Lifecycle Management
  53. Organizational Considerations
  54. Future-Proofing Certificate Management
  55. SSL Certificates and SEO: Ranking Benefits of HTTPS
  56. Direct Ranking Benefits of HTTPS
  57. User Experience Signals and Behavioral Metrics
  58. Technical SEO Advantages
  59. Building Trust and E-A-T Signals
  60. Migration Considerations for SEO
  61. Measuring SEO Impact
  62. Maximizing HTTPS SEO Benefits
  63. Advanced SSL Configurations and Security Best Practices
  64. Modern Protocol and Cipher Suite Selection
  65. Implementing Security Headers
  66. Performance Optimizations
  67. Certificate Transparency and Monitoring
  68. Emerging Standards and Future-Proofing
  69. Testing and Validation