Odds are you’ve seen the banner ads. Godaddy is offering SSL certificates for just $12.95 per year, a steep discount from the $29.99 usually charged for one year and the $49.99 that is more common in the industry.

This has caused many webmasters, especially those running low-end e-commerce sites, to consider getting an SSL certificate or to move off of their host’s shared SSL certificate. Others are thinking about it but are intimidated by the prospect of having to install one on their server.

However, there is help. If you have CPanel/WHM running on your server, installing a customer SSL certificate is actually very easy. In fact, Godaddy provides some decent directions on one way to do it here.

Still, the terminology might be a bit confusing so we’re going to go through the process step-by-step with visual aids as much as possible to make this process as clear and as easy as possible.

A Quick Word About CPanel

Please note that CPanel does have the ability to create an SSL certificate without WHM but it can not actually install the cert on the server. The reason is CPanel, without root access to the server, can not make the needed edits to Apache to make the certificate work.

If you have a host that only gives you CPanel and not access to the WHM backend, you will have to get the host to install the certificate for you.

Step 1: Buy the Certificate

Purchasing your SSL certificate is fairly simple. All you need to do is visit Godaddy’s SSL page and then purchase the number of certificates you need.

Note, however, that while the site itself still lists the certificates as being the original price, they ring up at the sale price whenever you put them in your cart. Also, you’ll need one SSL certificate for each domain or subdomain you want to use it on, unless you obtain a certificate that allows for multiple domains.

Step 2: Activate the SSL Credit

When you purchase an SSL certificate through Godaddy you don’t actually get an SSL certificate, you get a credit that enables you to create one. You then have to go to the SSL management page and click on “Use Credit”

You will then need to choose the certificate you want to use, you will most likely only have one.

That will create a new certificate on your server that is blank and waiting to be filled in.

Step 3: Create a Certificate and Signing Request

Next, you’ll need to log in to your WHM backend and create a Certificate and Signing Request (CSR). To do that, simply go to your Web SSL/TLS menu in your WHM and click on “Generate a SSL Certificate and Signing Request.”

There you will fill in the information for your certificate including the email address, password, Company name, etc. Be very careful to ensure that the key length is 2048 or Godaddy will not accept the CSR.

Once you click generate your server will create three series of random text, the signing request, the certificate and a key. Save the key to a backup text file and copy your signing request, including the beginning and ending lines, and log back in to Godaddy’s certificate manage screen.

There, find the blank certificate you wish to use with this site and click “Manage Certificate”.

Once in there, find where it requests your CSR and paste it in. Godaddy will automatically fill in much of the certificate’s data and then you click create certificate.

Once that is done, Godaddy will begin verifying the domain and generating the certificate. Please note that, if your email address associated with the domain is different from the one associated with the certificate, you will have to authorize the certificate setup for it to go through.

Once your certificate is done, you can then move back into applying it to your account.

Step 4: Applying Your Certificate

Once your certificate has been generated, download it to your computer.

Then, extract the Zip file and, using Notepad or an equivalent text editor, open the *.crt file and copy its entire contents. Log in to your WHM and, under SSL Management, click “Install a SSL Certificate and Setup the Domain”.

In there paste the contents of the *.crt file into the bow below “Install an SSL Cert”.

Once you do that, the other fields on the page should populate automatically and you can hit submit. If everything is in order, the server should accept the certificate and restart apache for you.

With that done, the certificate should be installed.

Step 5: Testing

With the SSL certificate installed you can give yourself a pat on the back, but it is worthwhile to take a moment to test and make sure it works.

Testing the certificate is actually very easy. In your favorite browser, simply visit the home page of the site you installed the cert for and change the http to https. If it worked, you should get no security errors and URL should look something like this.

If you do get security errors, don’t worry too much. Simply wait five minutes, clear your cache and try again. Sometimes it takes a few moments for your browser to recognize that the cert has changed.

If it did work, click the lock in your URL bar and read the information about the certificate to make sure it looks right. If everything seems to be in order, you’re done!

Bottom Line

Installing an SSL certificate on your CPanel/WHM account is actually fairly easy and, even without this tutorial, could be quickly figured out by anyone familiar with the system. The real question, however, is if you need one.

If you are running a blog or other site where users do not log in, the answer is probably no. However, any time you have users hand over credentials, even if it is just the username and password for a forum, generally it is seen as a plus to offer a secure connection and, considering how small the server overhead is, there is little reason not to.

Likewise, if you run a store, even if you use a separate payment processor, an SSL cert provides a higher level of professionalism that can drive you more business. In that case, the cert can more than pay for itself.

In the end, given that the current certificate price makes a proper SSL cert about a dollar per month, there is little reason not to get one if you feel it is worthwhile. It only costs a few dollars and takes a few moments of your time.

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Tags:   cPanel • cpanel whm • godaddy • installation • ssl • whm