Extended Validation SSL Certificate Install (GoDaddy)

Extended Validation SSL (Secure Socket Layer) Installation – Step by Step through GoDaddy

If you are looking to establish your brand as an authority in any market, you should look into an Extended Validation SSL Certificate. We decided to make the jump to an Extended Validation SSL Certificate because it increases our brand awareness, they have an enhanced security encryption, they instill more trust among prospects and they look pretty.

Really for no other reason than that aside from the pure fact that we love enhanced branding. Also, we really did want to see just how long it took to get an EV Cert. We have heard anywhere from 1 week to 6 months to get an Extended Validation SSL. In this post, we will document our steps and timeline.

This is our Step by Step Install Process for installing an Extended Validation SSL Certificate through GoDaddy. Follow along and let’s see how long it takes to get an EV Cert compared to a basic SSL validation cert or business cert.

What is an Extended Validation SSL Certificate?

Extended Validation SSL Certificates (EV or EV Cert) are great for a number of reasons. An Extended Validation Certificate (EV) is a version of an SSL certificate that is used to validate a businesses legal control and location of the company. Getting approved for an Extended Validation SSL Certificate requires verification of legal documents provided by the state, county or town that your business is located (Business License should suffice).

With an Extended Validation SSL Certificate, web browsers will show your verified company name in the address bar along with a green padlock. Web browsers show the verified legal identity prominently in their user interface, either before, or instead of, the domain name.

Why an Extended Validation SSL Certificate?

First, there are three types of SSL’s

Basic Validation
Business Validation (BV SSL)
Extended Validation (EV SSL)

Extended Validation SSL Certificates boost an immense amount of trust by internet users, especially for eCommerce websites. If you are running an eCommerce website, we highly recommend an Extended Validation SSL Certificate. Also, SSL’s in general help with Conversion Rate Optimization and have a slight impact on eCommerce Store SEO and organic rankings.

The real benefit of having an EV Cert is that your company has its name in the address bar on top of being “more secure” with a stronger encryption key. If you are looking into starting an eCommerce website design project, an EV SSL would come highly recommended.

Is an EV Cert more secure than a regular (Basic Validation) SSL? Yes.

Wit this being said, Business Validation SSL and Extended Validation SSL Certificates use the same encryption.

STEP 1: Generate CSR Like Normal

Step 1: A

Step 1: B

This post is assuming you already know how to install a normal SSL Certificate. This means you understand that you have to generate a CSR in WHM/cPanel or whatever server software you are using. After you generate your CSR, paste it into the CSR box and select your domain name. You will then move to step two of GoDaddy’s authentication process for an Extended Validation SSL Certificate.

STEP 2: Company Details

Your organization number and organization name need to be EXACTLY how it appears on your business license or legal documents.

Details you Need to Enter Here

Incorporating or Registration Agent (Your Name)
Registration Number (Your Business Lic Number)
Organization Name * (Your Legal Business Name – Exactly how it appears on your Business License)
DBA or Legally Registered Assumed Name (Your Legal Business Name – Exactly how it appears on your Business License)
Business Registration Jurisdiction-Level (Drops down into State, Town, City, County, Etc.)

STEP 3: Business Address Details

First Name/ Last Name
Company Phone
Job Title
Email
Phone Number
Physical Address (Not Mailing or PO Box)
City/ Locality
State/ Province/ Territory

STEP 4: Certificate Request Verification

Domain Ownership

Verify that you have control of this domain: You will need to verify that you have ownership of the domain name you are requesting an Extended Validation SSL Certificate for. Once you start the process, you will need to give GoDaddy time to validate your URL ownership (Same process as a basic SSL).

Upload Documentation

If we need this, we’ll let you know: Unlike a normal SSL, the Extended Validation SSL Certificate requires an extensive amount of documents in order to be approved.

Quick Tip: Call them throughout each stage, they will walk you through everything.

STEP 5: Extended Validation SSL – Validation Information

How does GoDaddy verify your information for the Extended Validation SSL Certificate?

Business (LLC, S-Corp, Corp, Etc.): Upload your business license or legal document: You will need a copy of your business license or registration with the state or county your business is registered in. They then check this registration against the state, county or city website to verify.
Personal: The search your information online to verify your business: In our case, GoDaddy used ZoomInfo.com to verify that our business is currently active and that the owner (me) is the actual owner of the business
Sole Proprietor: If you are a Sole Proprietor, GoDaddy will send you documents to take to a third party to get signed in order to further validate your personal information (Name, Identity, Etc).

Instructions if you need to provide proof of your Identity

In order to proceed with your EV SSL request they will need to verify the following information:

An Attestation Packet. This must be completed by a lawyer, CPA, or notary (referred to as “Validator”). You can find the Attestation Packet by clicking on the following link: Attestation Packet. The packet includes instructions but for further clarification, please print this PDF and take it with you.

List of items that you will send back to GoDaddy (via email or fax):

Premium Secure Certificate Personal Statement Attestation page (page 3)
Statement of Identity with Face-to-Face Validation page (page 4)
Notarized (or signed, if done by a lawyer or CPA) copy of your ID
Third-Party Validator Information page (page 5)

TIP: to get the Attestation Packet completed correctly (Print and take these instructions with you)

Attestation Packet STEP ONE: On page 3 (Premium Secure Certificate Personal Statement Attestation), list any and all other names by which you have been known (nicknames, maiden name, previous name, married name, etc.)

Attestation Packet STEP TWO: Page 4 (Statement of Identity with Face to Face validation) is often not completed correctly. In the 2 lined spaces on this page, the Validator will write in a description of the 2 secondary documents they saw. These documents must be personal documents in the principal’s name (not the company). The first lined section on the bottom of the form must be from group A (below) and the second lined section can be from either group A or B.

A. Acceptable financial institution documents include:

A major credit card; provided that it contains an expiration date and it has not expired.
A debit card from a regulated financial institution; provided that it contains an expiration date and it has not expired.
A mortgage statement from a recognizable lender that is less than six months old.
A bank statement from a regulated financial institution that is less than six months old.

B. Acceptable non-financial documents include:

Recent original utility bills for a fixed address (not a mobile/cell phone bill).
A copy of a statement for a payment of a lease, dated within the past six months.
A certified copy of a birth certificate.
A local authority tax bill for the current year.
A certified copy of a court order, such as a divorce decree, annulment papers, or adoption papers.

It is easiest to show 2 documents you may already carry with you, such as: a debit card & a credit card, or 2 different credit cards. If you use a debit & credit card, here is an example of how these sections should look:

Visa Debit Card ending in 1234: (List Details)
Date listed on document: (List Details)
If Credit (or Debit) Card, Expiration date: MM/YY

Attestation Packet STEP THREE: We must ALSO receive a copy of the Individual’s current signed government-issued ID. The copy must be clearly readable and we must be able to identify the person in the picture of the ID. If done by a lawyer or CPA/Chartered Accountant, they must sign the copy of the ID. If done by a notary, the copy must show the notary’s seal. DO NOT list the ID on either of the 2 sections on the Face to Face validation page.

The following documents are the only acceptable ID documents:

A driver’s license
A personal identification card
A concealed weapons permit
A military ID
A passport

Attestation Packet STEP FOUR: The Validator must write their contact phone number on page 5 (Third-Party Validator Information page). If they do not provide their phone number on the form, you will likely need to have the packet redone.

GoDaddy SSL (EV SSL Support): 480-505-8852 (option 2) ext 57718

STEP 6: Gather all documents and upload to GoDaddy

Once you have had a Notary, CPA or Attorney verify your personal information, upload all your documents to GoDaddy and give them a call. We suggest that you give the SSL department a call to encourage them to take a look right away. If you do not call the SSL team right away, it may take about 3-5 days for them to review your uploaded documents and finally issue your EV (Extended Validation) SSL.

CONCLUSION

If you have gathered anything from this article, you can understand why so many companies opt for the simple Basic Validation SSL or the Business Validation (BV SSL). Deciding to drop an EV (Extended Validation) SSL on your domain name requires some serious heavy lifting if you are a Sole Proprietor or basic Partnership.

I would highly recommend turning your business into an LLC or corporation before moving forward with an EV (Extended Validation) SSL as the process is much more simple. If you are an LLC or Corporation, all you need to do is upload your business license and then they check this information against the county, town or city your business license was registered in.

We hope you were able to gather some good insight from this post on EV (Extended Validation) SSL’s. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below. We would love to explain the process in detail or any questions if we missed anything.