How to add secure order form to my site?

[tigrvision]

I'd like to add a secure order for to collect info from potential clients. In the near future, I intend to accept credit card orders. Is there a certain type of software I need to get or do I have to buy a SSL certificate. If so, what are the prices or who should I go with? Another question is, can I add this feature on any web host?

Would really appreciate any help on this.

tigrvision

[Thing]

The majority of web hosting companys will add SSL to your site for a fee. You will need to check under their hosting plans and make sure they offer it first.

[roneill]

In order to run SSL on your web site you will need a dedicated IP address for your site and a SSL certificate. The dedicated IP address is something you need to address with your host. The SSL certificate is something you (or sometimes your host) gets.

There currently is a great discrepancy in the price of SSL certificates. Verisign and Thawte run several hundred dollars a year. Others you can get for free. And again others for around $49.00 per year. So what's the difference you ask? Well two items. First it has to do with the checking of the person applying for the certificate. Verisign and Thawte cost more because they (in their PR) say they do a better job of verifying exactly who is applying for the certificate. The second item is browser compatibility. With Verisign and Thawte you will never see the SSL security warning screen. With free certificates and some lower price ones it will pop up saying this isn't from a trusted source. Do either of these affect the SSL encryption? No, but they are an issue for some people. Personally I would recommend www.instantssl.com; they are low in price, have good service and are very compatible with browsers.

Installing the SSL certificate can be easy or hard depending on your web host. We use Plesk as a control panel and it is just a couple of clicks and away we go. Your mileage will vary from host to host though.

[Christoph]

I got mine from www.rackshack.net - it's a Geotrust QuickSSL and works with most common browsers. Some web hosts allow you to use their SSL for your site. It's not a perfect solution but does the job. It usually works as follows:

http://www.yourwebhost.com/~yourusername/index.html

That way a customer does not need to purchase his own SSL certificate if it is not a mission critical web site.

Christoph

[tigrvision]

Lots of helpful info. Thanks a lot.