How To – Understanding the Management of SSL Certificates for Credit Card Processing
Normally you have 2 options with shared hosting plans
You can have the shared certificate from your hosting company that is free but the url is different than your domain
then you can have your own SSL certificate installed if your hosting company allows it.
To have a SSL Cert installed you will need to purchase it from your hosting company who is a reseller of a SSL Cert Provider or you may be able to purchase it on your own.
The cheaper solution of buying the SSL on your own does not mean you can install it yourself. You will normally need to pay an install fee to your hosting company and when your SSL Certificate comes up for renewal in a Year you will need to pay a Re-Install fee on top of your SSL Certificate Cost.
Additionally you will need a dedicated IP address for your SSL Certificate which they will charge you monthly.
so every year you need to pay
SSL Certificate
Dedicated IP address
SSL Certificate Install Fee
If you are making a good amount of money from the store it is no problem to cover the costs however you still have to go through the renewal process.
Some Hosting Companies offer a Free SSL Certificate and IP address with a higher level Business Account..
In this situation you purchase the Business Hosting account and then sign up for the SSL Certificate which normally will only protect one domain. Meaning it will not protect subdomains or your other websites that may be hosted in the same account.
For that reason you should have your store located at
www.yoursite.com/store
and not
store.yoursite.com
that way you can use the SSL Certificate to protect your entire website
www.yoursite.com/store
www.yoursite.com/wp-admin/wp-login.php
www.yoursite.com/form
www.yoursite.com/classifieds