We’re Making InkSoft Safer with SSL Everywhere
The internet isn’t exactly the safest place. You know that, and your customers know that. Because of this, we’ve always been a big supporter of taking the right steps to protect your website to the fullest extent, using the very best and latest technology.
That’s why we’re excited to announce our enhanced SSL integration options for InkSoft users. We want to prepare for the future and align our software with Google’s efforts to make the internet more secure. We’re super stoked to partner with some top-notch SSL providers to give our customers better coverage at a lower price.
What’s the big deal about SSL encryption?
SSL stands for “Secure Sockets Layer.” It’s the standard security technology that establishes a safe (“encrypted”) link between a web server and your web browser (whether you use Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc.).
The secured link ensures that the data and any private information passed from your browser to a web server remains private. In ecommerce, it’s a critical component of establishing trust with online shoppers. It means that their credit card information, personal email address, and all other identifying information are safe when they interact with your website.
Not only that, but Google is placing a higher emphasis on SSL encrypted websites. They’ve called for “HTTPS everywhere“ and integrated the presence of an SSL certificate as a factor in how high a site ranks in search results. Many browsers actually give users a warning when they venture onto a website that’s not SSL encrypted.
New SSL options for InkSoft users
We’re now offering two options for users to secure their InkSoft-powered online stores:
Free “shared” SSL
Enabling the free “shared” SSL will use https://stores.inksoft.com as a prefix for only the webpages that require high security, such as account sign-in and checkout.
Dedicated SSL (Recommended)
A dedicated SSL protects your entire website, not just the sign-in and checkout pages. This means that your customers will never receive safety warnings from their browsers when they visit your site, and Google will view your site more favorably.
InkSoft has a wide range of SSL products available from the leading providers, available as a paid add-on. SSL certificates have a yearly fee and are subject to renewal, but discounts are available for multi-year registration, which offers the best value.
Types of dedicated SSL certificates
You can view the full list of InkSoft’s SSL offerings here. But we’ll break down the basics below.
Single Domain
With a Single Domain SSL Certificate, you can secure a web domain you own, plus individual InkSoft-powered online stores using a store name. This is the most common need we see for InkSoft users.
Example:
Single domain: https://www.customshirtsnow.com
Single domain with store name:
https://www.customshirtsnow.com/west_haven_fundraiser or https://www.customshirtsnow.com/firerock_golf
For Single Domain certificates, we recommend either RapidSSL or GeoTrust True BusinessID with EV.
Multi-Domain
Some InkSoft users create multiple online selling channels that all operate on unique branded domain names. For example, one InkSoft account could manage both https://www.customshirtsnow.com and https://www.custombannersnow.com.
In this situation, you have two options for securing your multiple domains:
- Multi-Domain SSL Certificate, which secures the unique and dedicated domain names that are attached to your InkSoft store. We recommend GeoTrust True BusinessID with Multi-Domain.
- Wildcard SSL, which is designed for securing multiple subdomains such as https://www.design.customshirtsnow.com or https://www.backtoschool.customshirtsnow.com. We recommend RapidSSL Wildcard Certificate.
Get encryption coverage for all of your InkSoft stores
Make sure your customers aren’t encountering security concerns or roadblocks with your website. If you’re using a custom domain name, you can take advantage of a custom SSL certificate for your InkSoft site for just $69 for a year. SSL purchases can be made from within your InkSoft Control Panel. Learn how to install an SSL certificate here.
Not sure which certificate fits your business? Give us a call or send us a message and we’ll help you understand your options!
Where is the $49 option? The lowest option I see is $69?
Hey Craig! SSL providers have increased their pricing due to the demand from Google’s ‘HTTPS Everywhere’ initiative. We’ve since updated this blog posting to reflect this.