The DigiCert Extended Validation SSL is a Extended Validation (EV) SSL/TLS certificate from DigiCert, priced from around $356.35/year, designed to secure a single domain. DigiCert is one of the most established certificate authorities in the industry, known for enterprise-grade infrastructure, fast issuance even at higher validation levels, and a full range of certificates from standard OV up to its high-assurance Secure Site Pro line.
What the DigiCert Extended Validation SSL Actually Does
The certificate authority performs the most rigorous vetting available — confirming legal, physical, and operational existence of the business, often including a verification phone call. This is the highest assurance level in the industry. It secures one exact hostname (both the www and non-www versions), but does not cover subdomains or additional domains.
Core specifications:
- Validation level: Extended Validation (EV)
- Domain coverage: a single domain
- Encryption: industry-standard up to 256-bit
- Browser and device trust: recognized by all major browsers and operating systems
- Reissuance: free reissues for the certificate's active period if server details change
- Warranty: backed by a certificate authority warranty that compensates end users in the rare event of mis-issuance
Why the Validation Level Matters
Extended Validation exists for situations where the stakes of an impersonation attempt are highest — financial services, healthcare, e-commerce handling large transaction volumes. The vetting process is more involved (including, in many cases, a live verification call), which is exactly what gives EV its strongest-available assurance level. Some browsers have changed how prominently they display EV details over the years, so the practical visual impact varies by browser, but the underlying verification remains the most rigorous available.
Who the DigiCert Extended Validation SSL Is For
- E-commerce sites and financial services where visible business legitimacy directly affects customer confidence
- Banks, insurers, and healthcare organizations subject to strict verification expectations
- Any business that wants the strongest available proof of identity attached to its certificate
- Organizations in regulated or high-trust industries where visitors specifically look for verified business details
If your site doesn't handle sensitive transactions or your budget is tight, OV or DV will cover the encryption need at a lower cost and shorter validation timeline.
Example Scenario
A mortgage brokerage, running its site at summit-mortgage.com, needs to secure a single company domain. It handles sensitive customer data and wants the strongest possible visible proof of business legitimacy. After completing the full extended validation process, including a verification call, it installs the DigiCert Extended Validation SSL and has the certificate issued after the identity check is complete, typically within several business days.
Unique Strengths
The highest available assurance level — full legal, physical, and operational verification of the business.
Strongest available trust signal for visitors who scrutinize a site before entering payment or personal data.
Backed by the largest certificate warranty tiers typically offered by the issuing brand.
Where It Might Fall Short
If you operate more than one domain needing extended validation, consider the DigiCert EV Multi-Domain SSL instead.
> Tip: Match the certificate's validation level to what your visitors actually need to see. DV is enough for encryption alone; OV and EV exist specifically to let you display verified business identity, which matters most on pages involving payments, logins, or sensitive data collection.
If you want a fuller picture of where your site stands beyond SSL — page speed, metadata, technical structure, and other ranking factors — SEO Wolf's free SEO audit will scan your site and flag the issues most likely to be holding back your rankings.
Installation and Renewal
Once issued, the certificate is installed on your web server (most control panels like cPanel or Plesk support a guided upload; dedicated admins can install manually per the CA's server-specific instructions). "Renewal" is technically a new purchase and reissue — most providers let you renew starting 30 days before expiration to avoid any coverage gap. It's worth calendaring your renewal date the moment you install a certificate, since an expired certificate produces the same browser warnings as having no certificate at all, and recovering from an unnoticed expiration is far more disruptive than a scheduled renewal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this certificate cover www and non-www versions of my domain?
Yes. A single-domain certificate for yourdomain.com automatically covers both yourdomain.com and www.yourdomain.com as part of standard certificate issuance.
Can I upgrade to wildcard or multi-domain coverage later?
You can't modify an existing certificate's scope, but you can purchase a new certificate with broader coverage at any point and replace the installed one — many providers let you apply remaining time from your current certificate toward the new purchase.
Bottom Line
The DigiCert Extended Validation SSL is built for organizations that want to visibly prove their legal identity to visitors, at the cost of a longer validation process and a higher price.
Get the DigiCert Extended Validation SSL
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