An SSL certificate is a digital security credential that encrypts the connection between your website and your visitors, protecting data such as passwords, contact details, and payment information from interception.

Every website needs an SSL Certificate because Google flags unsecured websites as “Not Secure” in the browser, which drives visitors away, damages credibility, and lowers your position in search results. An SSL certificate replaces that warning with a padlock, signalling to visitors and search engines that your website is safe and trustworthy.

DV, OV, and EV refer to the three levels of SSL certificate validation, each providing a different level of trust and verification.

• A Domain Validated (DV) certificate verifies that you own the domain and is suitable for personal websites, blogs, and small business sites.
• An Organisation Validated (OV) certificate verifies both domain ownership and your business identity, making it suitable for corporate and eCommerce websites.
• An Extended Validation (EV) certificate provides the highest level of verification, displaying confirmed business information and is recommended for financial institutions, large enterprises, and high-traffic online stores.

A Domain Validated SSL certificate is typically issued and installed within minutes to a few hours, as it only requires verification of domain ownership.

Organisation Validated and Extended Validation certificates require business identity verification and may take one to three business days to issue.

At Shine Web Technologies, our team provides free installation support for all certificates and will guide you through every step of the process to ensure your website is secured without delay.

Yes. If you are moving your website to Shine Web Technologies, our team will assist you with the SSL transfer or set up a new certificate as part of the migration process.

In most cases, setting up a fresh certificate with your new hosting is faster and simpler than transferring an existing one. Contact our support team and we will advise the best approach based on your current setup and certificate type.

Yes. Google confirmed HTTPS as an official ranking signal, meaning websites secured with an SSL certificate rank higher in search results than unsecured websites, all other factors being equal.

Beyond ranking, a secured website reduces bounce rate, because visitors are less likely to leave when they see the padlock rather than a “Not Secure” warning – which further strengthens your search performance over time.

Installing an SSL certificate is one of the most straightforward and cost-effective SEO improvements available to any website owner.

Yes. All Shine Web Technologies shared hosting and business hosting plans include a free SSL certificate as standard. This covers most personal and small business websites at no additional cost.

If your website requires a higher validation level, such as OV for a corporate site or EV for an eCommerce platform handling large transaction volumes, premium SSL certificates are available as an upgrade starting from Ksh 6,000 per year.