Table of Contents

SSL Certificates

SSL certificates are purchased by your company. There are several companies that can provide them. The first point of contact is probably the company where your domain is registered. Major providers of SSL certificates include:

There are other providers as well that can be found via a web search.

Note that there is a cost for an SSL certificate and it must be renewed yearly.

Installing an SSL Certificate

The following information is copied from the following URL at GoDaddy.com. The URL is correct as of February 1, 2017.

https://www.godaddy.com/help/install-ssl-certificates-16623

To Install an SSL Certificate in Microsoft IIS 7

  1. Click Start, mouse-over Administrative Tools, and then click Internet Services Manager.
  2. In the Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager window, select your server.
  3. Scroll to the bottom, and then double-click Server Certificates.
  4. From the Actions panel on the right, click Complete Certificate Request….
  5. To locate your certificate file, click ….
  6. In the Open window, select *.* as your file name extension, select your certificate (it might be saved as a .txt, .cer, or .crt), and then click Open.
  7. In the Complete Certificate Request window, enter a Friendly name for the certificate file, and then click OK

    For Wildcard SSL certificates make sure your Friendly Name to matches your Common Name (i.e. *.coolexample.com).

  8. In the Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager window, select the name of the server where you installed the certificate.
  9. Click + beside Sites, select the site to secure with the SSL certificate.
  10. In the Actions panel on the right, click Bindings….
  11. Click Add….
  12. In the Add Site Binding window:
  13. For Type, select https.
  14. For IP address, select All Unassigned, or the IP address of the site.
  15. For Port, type 443.
  16. For SSL Certificate, select the SSL certificate you just installed, and then click OK.
  17. Close the Site Bindings window.
  18. Close the Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager window. Your SSL certificate installation is complete.

Visit your website at https://www.coolexample.com (replacing coolexample.com with your domain name) to verify the installation. If you have problems, see Test your SSL's configuration to help diagnose issues.

As a courtesy, we provide information about how to use certain third-party products, but we do not endorse or directly support third-party products and we are not responsible for the functions or reliability of such products.

Creating a Self-Signed SSL Certificate

The use of a certificate issued by a proper authority is highly recommended. Self-sign certificates will cause an unsecured connection warning by browsers.

The following shows how to create a self-signed SSL certificate.

  1. Open the Windows IIS Manager (Administrative Tools > IIS Manager)
  2. Select the server under the Connections pane
  3. Double click the “Server Certificates” icon in the IIS section of the page



  4. Click on “Create Self-Service Certificates” in the Actions pane
  5. Name the certificate and store it under Personal