Extended Validation (EV) SSL certificates are the way to go if you're conducting business online. Ask yourself these questions:

* Is consumer confidence important to me? * Is my business one that can be confused with Phishing sites? * Is my brand strong enough to create trust? * Can I afford an EV certificate if it helps me close 20 percent more business? If you have answered yes to all of the questions above, especially the last one, you should upgrade to an EV SSL certificate. It's all about ROI.

Today all of the major brands are upgrading to EV SSL certificates even though their businesses are well known and have a recognized brand. Trust is the key issue. EV SSL certificates are issued by CAs (Certificate Authority) such as VeriSign, GeoTrust, and Thawte. They verify your organization manually and, if all your records show you are a legitimate business, then they issue you the certificate.

Do you think Phishing sites can get an EV SSL? The answer is no way. However, they may be able to get a Domain Validated (DV) certificate such as RapidSSL, QuickSSL Premium, SSL 123, Comodo, AlphaSSL, GoDaddy, etc. For a DV certificate, CAs only validate the domain name ownership. If they own the domain they can get a DV certificate in minutes. Even though CAs catch them very quickly and revoke their certificate, it's still possible and they cause a lot of damage before they get caught.

EV SSL certificates are expensive because issuing one is very labor-intensive. Almost all of the information must be verified manually by calling government agencies, business organizations, etc.

GeoTrust stepped in and reduced their price from $899 to $149, just $12 a month, to make them affordable for any small business owner. Go GREEN!

TheSSLstore.com has compiled a list of EV SSL case studies showing how having an EV SSL certificate has helped various online businesses. The case studies cover all kinds of businesses including MelBoteri.com, NeoVerve.com, CUSA.com, and iStyles.com. If you need help convincing your management to switch to EV SSL, show them these case studies.

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