SSL Certificates

An SSL certificate protects the personal data your customers share with your website — passwords, card details and identity information — and shows them the padlock that says your site is genuine. Getting one is the simplest way to raise customer confidence in your online business. Lakpura sells DigiCert SSL certificates, starting at USD 36 a year.

How does an SSL certificate work?

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer, today its successor TLS) is the protocol that sets up an encrypted link between your web server and a visitor's browser. The certificate is the credential that makes that link possible: a trusted Certificate Authority such as DigiCert issues it only after checking that you control the domain, and for EV certificates that your organisation is who it says it is. Once it is installed, browsers show the padlock and the https:// prefix, and every visitor gets three assurances:

• Authentication — the site really belongs to the domain (and, with EV, the organisation) named in the certificate.
• Encryption — passwords, card numbers and personal details are scrambled in transit, so they are useless to anyone who intercepts them.
• Integrity — data cannot be altered on the way between server and browser without the connection failing.

Why buy an SSL certificate?

• Rock-solid security — DigiCert certificates provide up to 128-bit or 256-bit encryption for your visitors' data.
• Customer confidence — many customers look for the padlock before handing over sensitive details.
• Better search rankings — Google ranks websites secured with SSL higher, so a certificate matters if you are serious about your online business.
• Secure Seal — every certificate comes with a site seal that reminds visitors your site is protected.
• No "Not Secure" warning — Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge flag plain HTTP pages that ask for any form data, which drives visitors away.
• Card-payment compliance — the PCI DSS rules for taking card payments require cardholder data to be encrypted in transit, so SSL is a prerequisite.
• 30-day money-back guarantee — on every SSL certificate, no questions asked.

Which certificate do I need?

Standard SSL suits most websites with a single domain. Premium SSL secures one domain with a much higher relying-party warranty (USD 500,000). Wildcard SSL covers a domain and all of its sub-domains (shop.example.com, mail.example.com and so on) with one certificate. EV SSL uses extended validation, the strictest check of the organisation behind the site, and carries a USD 1,750,000 warranty.

Certificates also differ in how much the Certificate Authority checks before issuing them. Domain Validated (DV) certificates — Standard, Premium and Wildcard SSL — confirm only that you control the domain, so they are issued quickly and suit blogs, business websites and online shops alike. Organisation Validated (OV) certificates add a check of the business behind the site. Extended Validation (EV) is the fullest legal and operational vetting and suits e-commerce, banking and other high-trust transactions. OV and multi-domain (SAN) certificates are not part of our current range.

How long is a certificate valid?

Public SSL/TLS certificates follow rules set by the CA/Browser Forum, the industry body of Certificate Authorities and browser makers. In April 2025 it voted to shorten the maximum lifetime of a certificate in stages:

• Until 14 March 2026: 398 days
• From 15 March 2026: 200 days (the current limit)
• From 15 March 2027: 100 days
• From 15 March 2029: 47 days

On the same dates, the period for which a Certificate Authority may reuse your domain validation falls to 200, then 100 and finally 10 days, so from 2029 you will confirm control of your domain almost every time a certificate is issued. (Source: DigiCert)

Your plan term does not change: during your 1-year or 2-year plan you re-issue the certificate free of charge as often as these limits require, so your site stays covered for the whole term. As certificates will need replacing every few months, and from 2029 every few weeks, set a reminder or automate renewal on your server. Lakpura hosting customers can ask our support team to handle it.

How do I order?

1. Choose a plan above and select Order now.
2. On services.lakpura.com, pick a 1-year or 2-year term and enter the domain name you want to secure (or register a new one).
3. Complete checkout, then finish the Certificate Authority's verification for your domain.
4. Install the issued certificate on your web server. Lakpura hosting customers can ask our support team for help.

Installing your certificate

Installation follows a well-documented sequence: generate a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) on your server, submit it with your order, complete the Certificate Authority's verification, then install the issued certificate files and configure your web server to use them. Control panels such as cPanel and Plesk have guided wizards for every step, so most site owners never touch the command line. If you run your own server, some familiarity with Apache, Nginx or IIS helps. Step-by-step guides are in the knowledge base on services.lakpura.com, and Lakpura hosting customers can ask our support team to install the certificate for them.

Frequently asked questions

What is an SSL certificate?

An SSL certificate is a digital certificate issued for a domain by a central authority called a Certificate Authority. To be issued one, you buy the certificate and then complete a verification process run by the Certificate Authority.

Why should I buy an SSL certificate?

An SSL certificate does two things: it encrypts the information sent from your visitor's browser to your website, and it authenticates your website's identity. Together these protect your customers and increase their trust in your online business, which matters most when visitors log in with passwords or enter sensitive details such as card numbers.

What is the difference between HTTP and HTTPS?

HTTP sends data in plain text, so anyone intercepting the connection can read it. HTTPS adds SSL/TLS encryption, so the data is unreadable to third parties in transit. Browsers now mark HTTP pages that contain any form fields as "Not Secure".

Do SSL certificates work in all browsers?

Yes. Our SSL certificates are compatible with all major desktop and mobile browsers, including those on iOS and Android, which show the padlock in the same way.

What happens if my SSL certificate expires?

Browsers show visitors a full-page warning that the connection is not private, and most people leave rather than continue. A single certificate is now valid for at most 200 days, falling to 100 days from 15 March 2027 and 47 days from 15 March 2029, so re-issue it, free of charge, within your 1-year or 2-year plan before it lapses, and renew the plan itself before its term ends.

Is a free SSL certificate as good as a paid one?

Free certificates, such as those from Let's Encrypt, give the same encryption strength and are fine for blogs and informational sites. A paid certificate adds a relying-party warranty, a site seal, support and, with EV, verification of your organisation, which is a meaningful trust signal for online shops and financial services.

Can one SSL certificate cover several domains?

A Wildcard SSL certificate covers one domain and all of its sub-domains, such as shop.example.com and mail.example.com. Separate domain names, such as example.com and example.net, each need their own certificate from our range.

Can I upgrade my SSL certificate?

Upgrades and downgrades are not supported at the moment. If you need a different certificate, you can buy a new one and install it on the same web server as the old one.

Do I need technical expertise to set up an SSL certificate?

It is not difficult, but installing an SSL certificate does involve following a series of steps. Step-by-step guides are available in the knowledge base on services.lakpura.com, and our support team can help.