Google and other Internet experts encourage websites to display all pages using https:// (secure). Google is even forcing this in the current versions of Chrome (which is used for more than 60% of web traffic) by flagging website pages that are displayed using http:// with a “NOT SECURE” warning and downgrading them in the Google search results.
They are taking this action to protect users who may not fully understand Internet security (almost everyone!) and especially what they are looking at as they jump from website to website. This change also helps to protect users from “man-in-the-middle” attacks: someone intercepting your web traffic and using it to learn your vulnerabilities.
You have two options for SSL certificates with ClubExpress:
- Use the ClubExpress.com SSL certificate. Your domain name will continue to point to your ClubExpress website. But when users arrive on the site, they will not see your domain in the address bar but instead, the URL will be in ShortName format (e.g. https://MyClub.ClubExpress.com.) There is also no charge for selecting this option.
- You can purchase an SSL certificate through ClubExpress and have it installed on our system. Your domain name will continue to point to your ClubExpress website. The public side of the website will now be displayed using this domain and https:// and will be flagged as secure. An additional benefit is that when members login, they will continue to see your domain; the ShortName.clubexpress.com URL will not appear in the address bar, even on the members’ side of your website. Also, this option should improve your position in search results.
If you choose this option, it must be done through ClubExpress, to ensure that only fully trusted certificates are installed on our servers and because this can be done in a completely automated process. Certificate prices vary widely on the Internet; decent 1-year certs that use at least a 2048-bit encryption key typically cost up to $100 per year. However, we have worked out a deal with Sectigo (formerly Comodo), one of the largest and most respected certificate issuers, to provide SSL certificates to our customers at reduced rates: 1-year ($45), 2-year ($80), 3-year ($110), 4-year ($140), 5-year ($160).
Neither Google nor Apple accept SSL certificates with a duration greater than one year, however you are able to purchase multiple years up front, and we automatically renew your certificate for you each year.