An SSL (secure socket layer) certificate encrypts information as it is transferred across the internet.
Shared SSL: At Pay Monthly Hosting we supply a shared SSL certificate that you can use to access your website. However, as this is registered to our server and NOT your domain it will encrypt the data transmitted but it will warn the users that the domain being used does not match that registered in the certificate.
Private SSL: This is a certificate issued specifically for your own domain, guaranteeing that the user is connecting to your site.
For example:
- Shared SSL will use our server domain and will cause certificate warning messages to pop up on your site.
- Private SSL will use your domain name and will not cause any warning messages.
A Shared SSL might be used by you to access sensitive areas of your own site such as admin areas, where you want your Username and Password to be protected and encrypted all the way from your computer, right up to that particular login screen
A Private SSL would be preferred for protecting credit card information during purchasing for E-Commerce websites. This is because shared SSL warnings would make people feel uncomfortable with submitting their credit card information on your website when warnings are being generated by their browser.
