Get a free SSL certificate

A regular SSL certificate covers only one domain and one subdomain within that domain. This might be sufficient to webmasters that own a single website and don’t plan on adding any additional subdomains.

Wildcard SSL certificates, on the other hand, are a special type of SSL certificate, and can cover websites with multiple subdomains, saving you time and money.

When you purchase the Wildcard SSL, you need to place an asterisk (*) before the domain level that you want to encrypt. This signals that all subdomain variants should automatically be covered even if some are added later.

According to Google, having an SSL certificate is the easiest thing a webmaster can do to improve their SEO rankings. Google rewards all website owners with a minor ranking boost when they switch from HTTP to HTTPS, thereby enhancing security measures. With a Wildcard SSL certificate, it’s even easier to signal to Google that all your subdomains are secure, which results in more trust from your website visitors.

Setting up your free SSL Wildcard certificate from IONOS can be done directly in the Control Panel. Log in and simply follow these step-by-step instructions to issue the SSL certificate to the desired domain. Once your SSL Wildcard certificate has successfully gone through the validation process, it will be installed in your webspace, and automatically activated.

There are numerous benefits to an SSL Wildcard cert:

• The main one being that you show your visitors you take website security seriously by having this maximum encryption, which in turn helps gain their trust.
• The SSL Wildcard certificate enables you to secure all your subdomains under one certificate and gives you the possibility to add other subdomains later without having to re-issue your certificate. The certificate grows with your business.
• A faster HTTP/2 connection isn’t possible without an SSL certificate. Since HTTP/2 is becoming the new standard for websites, enhancing usability and speed, you’re more than prepared with your free Wildcard SSL certificate from IONOS.
• Another advantage is that you get an SSL certificate for free with certain IONOS products, and it remains free with the product you choose, meaning long-lasting security without having to spend a dime.