What is an EV Certificate?

EV SSL certificates give your business the highest level of verification possible

If you’re here because you’re wondering “what is an EV certificate?” you’ve come to the right place. Extended validation (EV) SSL certificates are often regarded as the premium tier of SSL certificates — and for good reason.

In fact, there are many reasons why — but we’ll get into all that later in this article.

Since there are so many different brands and types of SSL certificates available, I wouldn’t blame you for thinking that EV certificates are no different than others. However, that is simply not true.

Before we get into the reasons why an EV SSL certificate is the crème de la crème, we’ll first explain what an SSL certificate is in general and what it does. That way, you can understand how all the different benefits that EV certificates offer have the potential to make your business better.

What is an SSL Certificate?

An SSL certificate is a file that tells a user’s browser “this site is secure” by validating its identity. Not only this, but an SSL certificate also encrypts any data that is in transit between the site (your server) and the client (the user’s browser), securing it from hackers.

SSL certificates have public and private keys, which are used to encrypt and decrypt data. Through a process known as the SSL handshake, the browser first looks at whether or not your certificate is valid.

After doing so, the public key encrypts the data being transmitted and the private key decrypts it. In the handshake, the pair is used to generate a unique third key known as a session key (a symmetric key), which is used to communicate throughout the session.  

There is more to the handshake process, but for the sake of this article, let’s leave it at that.

Why SSL Certificates Matter

It shouldn’t be a huge surprise that browser-related attacks are increasing year after year. After all, technology improves constantly, but so do hackers.

As a result, although SSL certificates were historically considered optional in the early 2000s, it’s they are now considered necessities in 2019 and for the foreseeable future.

Having an SSL certificate will not only aid in making your site more secure, but it will also come with some additional benefits you may not know about. This is particularly the case concerning EV SSL certificates.

What is an EV Certificate and What Makes It Better?

What makes EV SSL certificates special is the verification process that is required to get one. Unlike domain validated (DV) and organization validated (OV) certificates, EV certificates require extra verification steps by the issuing certificate authorities (CAs) such as a telephone verification call and even a professional opinion letter (in some cases). Visit the CA/B Forum for a detailed list of all the documents needed to complement the EV process.

Remember when I explained how an SSL certificate tells a user’s browser that a website is secure? Well, EV certificates do that, too, but they offer visual cues that tell the visitor (not just their computer) that your site is secure. These visual cues include:

• Site Seals. Site Seals can be quite helpful if you own an ecommerce website or any site that handles sensitive data for that matter. Why? Because brands like Comodo CA are trusted and visitors recognize them, so when you have a seal that shows that you are using their security systems, they’re bound to be more likely to trust you.
• Identity. One of the most enticing visual cues that EV SSL certificates offer is identity, which displays your company’s verified name when you click on the padlock icon next to the browser’s web address bar. No other type of SSL certificate offers this. Some browsers also still show the “green” security bar, but this feature has largely gone away in the major browsers.

In addition to visual cues, there are other benefits of EV SSL certificates… depending on the certificate provider you choose. In general, though, EV certificates typically come with the largest warranties in the industry. For example, a Comodo EV SSL Certificate from ComodoSSLstore.com comes with a $1.75 million warranty! But when you buy this type of certificate from us, you also can enjoy:

• A 30-day money-back guarantee,
• Unlimited reissuance,
• Unlimited server licenses, and
• 24/7 phone, email, and web support 365 days of the year!

Should I Get an EV SSL Certificate?

If you are someone who values the trust of your customers, an SSL certificate may be for you. This is because EV SSL certificates require the most in-depth verification of the three validation levels, and prestigious companies often have them.

If this sounds like you, click below to get your SSL certificate today!