SSL — the basics
So, what actually is SSL — and why does your site need it?
Great question — and honestly, one we hear all the time. No judgement at all.
SSL is what puts the padlock in your browser’s address bar and the ‘https’ before your URL. It means anything passing between your site and a visitor — passwords, card details, contact forms — is encrypted. Scrambled. Nobody in the middle can read it.
Beyond the privacy side, Google has been using HTTPS as a ranking signal for years, and browsers actively warn visitors when a site doesn’t have SSL. So it’s not just about keeping data safe — it’s about looking like a trustworthy place to visit too.
Which type do you need?
DV, OV, or EV — here’s the honest breakdown
There are three levels of validation, and the right one depends on what your site does — not on what sounds most impressive.
DV (Domain Validation) is the quickest and most common. It just confirms you control the domain — no paperwork, no waiting around. Most personal sites and small business pages are perfectly fine with DV.
OV and EV add identity verification on top. Your business gets checked against public records, and that extra step shows up in the certificate details. It matters when you’re handling sensitive data or running any kind of shop.
And yes — when it’s time to renew, we handle the order automatically. No calendar reminders needed on your end.
Multi-Year SSL
Lock in your price, skip the renewal stress
Buy 2 or 3 years upfront and you pay less per year, lock in today’s rate, and don’t need to think about renewal for a good long while.
We handle the reissuance quietly in the background — browsers cap individual certificate validity at just over a year, so we refresh the cert automatically when needed. You keep full, uninterrupted coverage the whole time without lifting a finger.
Domain Validation (DV)
Just starting out, or keeping it simple?
Think of DV like getting a library card — the system just checks you’re you enough to use the service, nothing more involved than that. You prove you control the domain (a quick email or DNS check does it), and within minutes you’ve got a valid certificate. No business documents, no waiting days. If you’re running a personal site, portfolio, blog, or a small business page, DV is where most people start — and it works perfectly.
Organization Validation (OV)
Handling customer data? Let them see you’re verified.
OV is a step up — a bit like getting a driver’s licence. You prove you own the domain and that your organisation genuinely exists. That takes 1–3 business days, but once it’s done, visitors can click the padlock and see your company’s name right there in the certificate. It’s the kind of reassurance that matters on login pages, account dashboards, or anywhere people are handing over personal information.
Extended Validation (EV)
Running a shop or financial service? Go EV.
EV is the passport of the SSL world — the most thorough check there is. Your organisation gets verified against company registers, contact records, and more. It takes 2–7 business days, but the result is clear: anyone who clicks your padlock will see exactly who they’re dealing with. If you’re processing payments or asking people to trust you with their financial details, EV is the right call.
Wildcard
Multiple subdomains? One cert covers them all.
Wildcard SSL secures your main domain and every first-level subdomain under it — shop.yourdomain.com, blog.yourdomain.com, mail.yourdomain.com — all under a single certificate. Add more subdomains later? They’re covered automatically. No extra costs, no extra certificates to manage. It’s the tidy, cost-effective option for anyone building out a bigger site.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is an SSL certificate?
An SSL (TLS) certificate encrypts the traffic between your website and its visitors, shows the padlock icon in the browser, and is required for HTTPS — modern browsers mark any site without one as "not secure". TPC Hosting offers SSL certificates from €0.46/month across DV, OV, EV and Wildcard validation tiers, from RapidSSL, Comodo, Sectigo, DigiCert, GeoTrust and Thawte, with fast issuance and multi-year discounts.
What actually is SSL — and why does every site need it?
SSL encrypts the connection between your site and your visitors, so anything they share — passwords, card details, contact forms — is private and can’t be intercepted. It’s also what puts the padlock in the browser bar and switches your URL to https.
Beyond security, browsers like Chrome actively flag sites without SSL as ‘Not Secure’, and Google factors it into search rankings. So yes — every site needs it, and there’s no good reason to wait.
How do I know which type to pick — DV, OV, or EV?
DV is the fastest and most affordable — right for personal sites, blogs, portfolios, and most small business pages. OV adds business identity verification and takes 1–3 business days — worth it when visitors are sharing personal data. EV is the most thorough check (2–7 days) and shows your organisation name in the certificate — ideal for online shops and financial services.
Still unsure? Drop us a message and we’ll help you work it out — no pressure.
What’s a Wildcard SSL certificate?
A Wildcard covers your main domain plus every first-level subdomain under it. So blog.yoursite.com, shop.yoursite.com, and app.yoursite.com are all covered by a single certificate — and any new subdomains you add later are too. Much simpler than managing a separate cert for each one.
Does the brand matter — DigiCert, Sectigo, GeoTrust?
Technically, no — all certificates in our lineup meet the same encryption and browser compatibility standards. The brand might matter if your industry has specific preferences, or if you want a well-known trust seal for marketing. Otherwise, pick what fits your validation level and budget and you’ll be fine either way.
Are SSL certificates getting shorter — and will that affect me?
Yes — the CA/Browser Forum (the industry body that governs SSL standards) has voted to reduce the maximum certificate validity in stages. Currently certificates last up to around 13 months. Under the agreed schedule, that will reduce to around 200 days in 2026, then 100 days in 2027, and eventually 47 days by 2029.
In practice, this changes nothing for you as a customer. We handle all certificate reissuance automatically in the background — your coverage stays uninterrupted. Multi-year plans remain valid: you still pay once and stay covered for the full term, we just refresh the underlying certificate more often behind the scenes. Shorter certificates are actually a security improvement — they limit how long a compromised cert could be misused if anything ever went wrong.
Not sure which one fits your site?
Drop us a message. We’ll ask a couple of quick questions and point you straight to the right certificate — no sales pitch, just an honest answer.
