What is a Standard Wildcard SSL Certificate and How Do I Get One?

Everything you need to know about a standard wildcard SSL certificate: Features, technical aspects, price, site seals and deals, and discounts!  

A standard wildcard SSL certificate is also known as a basic wildcard SSL certificate, or domain validated (DV) SSL certificate. A standard wildcard provides the exact same data protection as the regular SSL certificate, but with one more added advantage: subdomain coverage  

A standard wildcard SSL secures your main domain (primary domain) and its single-level subdomains under the same certificate roof. This means that, you don’t need to buy separate standard SSL certificates to secure each subdomain individually.  

For example, let’s say you want to secure all of the first-level subdomains for yoursite.com.  

Rather than buy multiple regular SSL certificates for yoursite.com, you can buy a single standard wildcard for *.yoursite.com instead. It will secure all the following domain variations.  

Instead of buying a regular SSL certificate for yoursite.com, you need to buy a standard wildcard for *.yoursite.com. It will secure all the following domain variations.

Encryption Difference Between a Standard SSL Certificate & a Standard Wildcard 

No difference! Regardless of the price, brand, level of validation, or functionality of a certificate, all SSL certificates facilitate the same level of encryption. This means that all of the certificates offered on RapidSSLonline.com provide the same level of encryption (i.e., 256-bit encryption, SHA-2 algorithm, and latest 2048-bit RSA public key encryption) that’s recommended by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). 

We also strictly follow the CA/Browser Forum’s technical guidelines for all our SSL certificates, i.e., regular SSL, wildcard SSL certificate, multi domain SSL certificate, and multi domain wildcard. Ultimately, though, the actual encryption strength is ultimately determined by the ciphers that are supported by the server and browser and not by any SSL certificate itself. 

The Number of Subdomains a Standard Wildcard Covers 

Unlimited! Yes, you read that right! Every wildcard SSL certificates you buy from RapidSSLonline.com covers an unlimited number of subdomains (on a single level) of your primary domain. This means you can secure 50, 100, or even 1,000, or even more subdomains! No hidden charges. No additional costs.  

Basic Wildcard Warranties 

All of our basic wildcard SSL certificates come with CA-backed warranties that range from $10,000 to $500,000.  

Standard Wildcard Cost  

The Differences Between a Standard Wildcard & Deluxe Wildcard SSL Certificate 

A standard wildcard certificate is domain validated (DV). A premium wildcard SSL certificate, on the other hand, is organization validated (OV). Let’s break down what this means: 

Standard Wildcard  

As a domain validated (DV) certificate, a standard wildcard requires an automated online validation process (which only verifies  domain control of the applicant) before issuance. The process can be completed within minutes with no paperwork, faxes, and phone verification required — hence, no delays. It’s suitable for blogs, personal websites, start-ups, and small business websites. The warranty that comes with this type of certificate is lower than what you would receive with an OV wildcard SSL certificate.  

Deluxe Wildcard 

This type of certificate requires a more rigorous vetting process, which is manual and takes up to three days to complete. The certificate authority (CA) checks the online government database to verify that an authentic, legally registered company controls the domain. The CA also might ask you to provide additional documents such as registration papers, official registration documents, a Dun & Bradstreet report, or a professional opinion letter.    

In general, organization validation is recommended as a minimum for medium to large companies, financial institutions, healthcare organizations, or other organizations that handle sensitive personal and financial information. Many popular websites such as Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, etc. use OV SSL certificates as the minimum. The next level up would be extended validation (EV) certificates.  

Second Level Subdomains  

A standard wildcard SSL certificate covers the first level of subdomains of a domain. What it means is that if you buy a wildcard SSL certificate for *.mysite.com, it will cover first-level subdomains like product.mysite.com and login.mysite.com. However, it will not cover mobiles.product.mysite.com or television.product.mysite.com, because they’re second-level subdomains of mysite.com.  

If you want to cover the second level of subdomains, you must buy a separate wildcard for *.product.mysite.com 

Server Licenses  

If you’re hosting your subdomains on multiple servers, you must install the standard wildcard SSL on each additional server. With all our standard wildcard SSL certificates, you will get FREE, UNLIMITED server licenses. You can transfer your private keys for free to unlimited numbers of servers, no matter which geographic location they are situated. It’s an ideal solution for global teams or teams working on different states and time zones.  

How to Buy a Standard Wildcard SSL Certificate 

You can buy a standard wildcard directly from a certificate authority directly or from one of their platinum partners like RapidSSLonline.com. The advantage of buying from a partner’s website is that you can get a massive discount on the exact same SSL certificate, and you also receive better customer support and other benefits.  

For example, if you buy the RapidSSL Wildcard Certificate directly from the certificate authority’s website, it’ll cost you $269 per year. But you can get the same wildcard certificate from  RapidSSLonline at a 56% discount, which means you’ll just pay $118.36 per year. We’ll leave it to you to decide which is the better deal, but the numbers speak for themselves.