How do I activate/install my SSL Wildcard certificate?

Setting up your free SSL Wildcard certificate from IONOS can be done directly in the Control Panel. Log in and simply follow these [[https://www.ionos.co.uk/help/ssl-certificates/setting-up-ssl-certificates-managed-by-11-ionos/setting-up-an-ssl-businessssl-business-wildcard-certificate-managed-by-11-ionos/|step-by-step instructions]] to issue the SSL certificate to the desired domain. Once your SSL Wildcard certificate has successfully gone through the validation process, it will be installed in your webspace, and automatically activated.

What are the advantages of a free SSL Wildcard certificate?

There are numerous benefits to an SSL Wildcard cert: * The main one being that you show your visitors you take website security seriously by having this maximum encryption, which in turn helps gain their trust. * The SSL Wildcard certificate enables you to secure all your subdomains under one certificate and gives you the possibility to add other subdomains later without having to re-issue your certificate. The certificate grows with your business. * A faster HTTP/2 connection isn’t possible without an SSL certificate. Since HTTP/2 is becoming the new standard for websites, enhancing usability and speed, you’re more than prepared with your free Wildcard SSL certificate from IONOS. * Another advantage is that you get an SSL certificate for free with certain IONOS products, and it remains free forever, meaning long-lasting security without having to spend a penny.

Domains

Domain Names

Create your online address.

.co.uk Domain

.com Domain

AI Domain Name Generator

Find the perfect domain name for your business.

New Top-Level Domains

Stand out with .app, .dev, .london, and more.

Bulk Domain Search

Security

SSL Certificates

Secure your site traffic and build trust.

Domain Security

Protect your domain from threats.

Transfer Service

Domain Transfer

Move your domain to IONOS.

Useful Domain Tools

Launch Your Website

Website Builder

Create your own website easily.

Website Design Service

Get your website built by experts.

Migration Service

Trust your move to the experts.

Online Marketing

Search Engine Optimisation Tool

Improve your ranking on search engines with rankingCoach.

Email Marketing

Create effective email campaigns.

Google Ads Management Service

Sell online with Google and help from us.

AI Reputation Management

Effortlessly boost your online reputation.

Website Platforms

Find the right way to build your website.

Useful Website Tools

Open an Online Shop

Online Shop Builder

Create your own online store.

eCommerce Website Design

Get your online shop built by experts.

Add-ons

eCommerce Plugin

Turn any website into an online shop.

Social Buy Button

Sell on different platforms with one shop.

eCommerce Hosting

WooCommerce Hosting

Host your WooCommerce website with IONOS.

PrestaShop Hosting

Reliable hosting tailored to PrestaShop.

eCommerce Platforms

Compare our eCommerce solutions.

Useful Online Store Tools

Shared Hosting

Web Hosting

Fast, scalable hosting for any website.

ASP.NET Hosting

Powerful web hosting on Windows® Server 2022.

Deploy Now

Deploy your site, app, or PHP project from GitHub.

Dedicated Hosting

VPS Hosting

Blazing-fast VPS with KVM virtualisation and SSD storage.

Other Hosting Solutions

Jamstack Hosting

Build faster sites with leaner hosting.

Joomla! Hosting

Optimised hosting and free Joomla! extensions.

Hosting Options Compared

Compare shared and dedicated hosting.

Useful Hosting Tools

PHP Extended Support

Shared Hosting for WordPress

Hosting for WordPress

Optimised for speed, reliability and control.

Managed Hosting for WordPress

Hassle-free WordPress for any project.

WordPress eCommerce

Hosting for WooCommerce

Fast WordPress hosting optimised for WooCommerce.

Professional Email Address

Build your brand with every email you send.

Webmail Login

Hosted Microsoft Exchange

The world's leading calendar and email solution.

Email Marketing

Create effective email campaigns.

Online Office Tools

Microsoft 365 / Office 365

Powerful Exchange email and Microsoft's trusted productivity suite.

Google Workspace

Collaborate smarter with Google's cloud-powered tools.

Online Storage & Backup

Managed Nextcloud

Secure online storage and collaboration platform.

HiDrive Cloud Storage

Access and share your files from anywhere.

Email Archiving

Safeguard your emails against loss.

MyDefender

Protect your data from viruses, ransomware, and loss.

Free File Sharing

Share large files for free.

Useful Tools

Root Server

VPS Hosting

Fully virtualised private servers.

Linux VPS

Windows VPS

Dedicated Servers

Enterprise-grade hardware, unlimited traffic - built for single servers.

New

Enterprise-grade hardware for networked server environments.

Cloud Servers

Maximum scalability and full flexibility with pay-per-minute billing.

Server Tools

Cloud Backup

Secure your server or cloud infrastructure.

Rent a Server

Compare our server options.

Server Info

IONOS Cloud

Product Highlights

Solutions and Information

Europe’s leading cloud

The sovereign cloud for businesses and institutions

AI Model Hub

Use selected LLMs and text-to-image models.

Backup & Storage

Backup Service

Secure your data with high-performance cloud backups.

Block Storage

The perfect storage solution for every workload.

SSD Performance Storage

IONOS Cloud Object Storage

Scalable storage for large data volumes.

Network File Storage (NFS)

Distributed data storage for demanding workloads.

Compute Services

Compute Engine

Flexible IaaS platform for professional cloud computing.

Cloud GPU VM

New

Scalable GPU performance for AI, deep learning and high-performance computing

Cubes

The fast, affordable way to build your cloud infrastructure.

Containers

Managed Kubernetes

Securely orchestrate container workloads.

Private Container Registry

Manage container images securely in the cloud.

Data Analytics

Event Streams for Apache Kafka

Intuitive event stream deployment in the cloud.

Databases

Database as a Service

Add database capacity on demand.

Network Services

Streamline your DNS management and simplify complexities.

Content Delivery Network (CDN)

Distributed forwarding with request routing.

DDoS Protect

Prevent distributed denial of service attacks.

Flow Logs

Analyse your traffic.

Managed Application Load Balancer

Optimal load balancing at the application level.

Managed NAT Gateway

Protect your applications and VMs from unauthorised traffic.

Managed Network Load Balancer

Maximise application availability.

VPN Gateway

Reliable connections between different locations.

Observability Services

Monitoring as a Service

Comprehensive monitoring for all virtual instances.

Monitoring Service

Full transparency into the performance and health of your entire infrastructure.

Try the IONOS Cloud

Technical Cloud Support

0333 336 1285

Public Cloud Info

Private Cloud

Private Cloud powered by VMware

Dedicated VMware-based cloud environment with by-the-minute billing.

Backup & Storage

vSAN Enterprise

Storage, Compute, and Network – centrally managed and highly available

VCDA

Disaster Recovery and extended protection for virtual machines

NFS Datastore

Central data storage for shared use

Network

NSX

Network virtualisation and security functions

Try the IONOS Cloud

Technical Cloud Support

0333 336 1285

Private Cloud Info

Bare Metal Cloud

Dedicated Infrastructure as a Service

Bare metal servers, tailored to your project.

GPU Servers

High-performance servers to accelerate your AI projects. (IONOS Product)

Try the IONOS Cloud

Technical Cloud Support

0333 336 1285

Bare Metal Cloud Info

Dedicated Server Support

AI Model Hub

Use selected LLMs and text-to-image models.

Try the IONOS Cloud

Technical Cloud Support

0333 336 1285

AI Model Hub Info

Cloud GPU VM

New

Scalable GPU performance for AI, deep learning and high-performance computing

Try the IONOS Cloud

Technical Cloud Support

0333 336 1285

GPU Servers Info

Compute Engine

Flexible IaaS platform for professional cloud computing.

Try the IONOS Cloud

Technical Cloud Support

0333 336 1285

Compute Engine Info

IONOS Cloud Object Storage

Scalable storage for large data volumes.

Try the IONOS Cloud

Technical Cloud Support

0333 336 1285

IONOS Cloud Object Storage Info

Use Cases

Managed Kubernetes (CI/CD)

Faster pipeline development.

Data Backup and Disaster Recovery

Peak protection against data loss.

Data Storage and Archiving

Secure, GDPR-compliant storage.

Digitalisation for SMEs

Manage your digital transformation.

Machine Learning Platform

Get more out of your data.

Big Data

Complex data analysis in the cloud.

Firewall as a Service

Customised cloud security solution.

Managed Nextcloud

Work together in your own cloud.

IONOS Cloud Marketplace

Cloud Marketplace

New

Find tailored software solutions for your business.

Partner with IONOS

Channel Partner Program

For distributors and resellers.

ISV Partner Program

For software vendors (ISVs).

Key Cloud Info

IONOS Cloud benefits

Key benefits for your business.

Cloud Savings Plans

Save more with Cloud Savings Plans.

Introduction to the cloud

Discover the benefits of the cloud.

Data security

GDPR-compliant data protection in the cloud

Data Centres

Our global data centre locations.

Webinars

On-demand expert talks.

Success Stories

How businesses use the IONOS Cloud.

Reports

External analysis and studies.

On Premise vs. Cloud

Compare costs and save.

Free SSL Certificate

Get a free SSL certificate

Secures data transfers
Avoids browser warnings
Improves your Google ranking

How to get an SSL certificate for free

When you opt for certain IONOS services and products such as domain registration, hosting for WordPress, or the eCommerce and MyWebsite website builders, you receive a free SSL Wildcard certificate included in the plan.

WordPress

Save 36%

£7

£3

/month

for 6 months

Then only £6/month

excl. VAT

Add to basket

100 GB storage

6 GB RAM, 1 vCPU

10 databases

Unmetered bandwidth

1-click WordPress installation

SSH, SFTP, WP-CLI access

Free domain & SSL certificate

Professional email

24/7 customer support

New year offer

Save 90%

£10

£1

/month

for 12 months

Then only £9/month

excl. VAT

Add to basket

250 GB redundant storage

9 GB RAM, 1 vCPU

250 databases

Unmetered bandwidth

1-click WordPress installation

SSH, SFTP, WP-CLI access

Free domain & SSL certificate

Professional email

24/7 customer support

Save 33%

£18

£8

/month

for 6 months

Then only £16/month

excl. VAT

Add to basket

350 GB redundant storage

15 GB RAM, 1 vCPU

350 databases

Unmetered bandwidth

1-click WordPress installation

SSH, SFTP, WP-CLI access

Free domain & SSL certificate

Professional email

24/7 customer support

SiteAnalytics Plus

Save 31%

£26

£12

/month

for 6 months

Then only £24/month

excl. VAT

Add to basket

500 GB redundant storage

20 GB RAM, 1 vCPU

500 databases

Unmetered bandwidth

1-click WordPress installation

SSH, SFTP, WP-CLI access

Free domain & SSL certificate

Professional email

24/7 customer support

SiteAnalytics Plus

Unlimited free SSL certificates

1 / 4

All prices exclude VAT charged at 20%. VAT may be subject to change depending on your country of residence. Terms and conditions apply.

Web hosting

Save 40%

£10

£4

/month

for 6 months

Then only £8/month

excl. VAT

Add to basket

Best for 1 website

100 GB storage

25 MS SQL databases (2 GB SSD)

Professional email included

Free domain for 1 year

Save 36%

£14

£6

/month

for 6 months

Then only £12/month

excl. VAT

Add to basket

Best for up to 5 websites

250 GB storage

100 MS SQL databases (2 GB SSD)

Professional email included

Free domain for 1 year

SiteLock malware protection

Save 31%

£24

£11

/month

for 6 months

Then only £22/month

excl. VAT

Add to basket

Best for up to 50 websites

500 GB storage

500 MS SQL databases (2 GB SSD)

Professional email included

Free domain for 1 year

Content Delivery Network (CDN)

SiteLock malware protection

1 / 3

All prices exclude VAT charged at 20%. VAT may be subject to change depending on your country of residence. Terms and conditions apply.

Windows web hosting

Save 40%

£10

£6

/month

for 6 months

excl. VAT

Add to basket

From idea to website in record time with our AI Website Builder

Intuitive website editing with simple design options

Free domain for 1 year

Professional email address with 2 GB storage

10 GB webspace & 10 pages

Competitor tracking with marketingRadar

AI Logo Generator

Save 94%

£16

£1

/month

for 12 months

excl. VAT

Add to basket

From idea to website in record time with our AI Website Builder

Intuitive website editing with advanced design options

Free domain for 1 year

Professional email address with 12 GB storage

50 GB webspace & 200 pages

Competitor tracking with marketingRadar

AI Logo Generator

AI Page Generator

AI Text Generator & AI Text Improver

Professional design with the AI Image Generator

AI SEO Text Generator

AI image recognition

SiteAnalytics

Online booking tool

Save 43%

£30

£17

/month

for 6 months

excl. VAT

Add to basket

From idea to website in record time with our AI Website Builder

Intuitive website editing with advanced design options

Free domain for 1 year

Professional email address with active syncing on all devices and 50 GB storage

*Unlimited **webspace & pages

Competitor tracking with marketingRadar

AI Logo Generator

AI Page Generator

AI Text Generator & AI Text Improver

Professional design with the AI Image Generator

AI SEO Text Generator

AI image recognition

SiteAnalytics Plus

Online booking tool

Search engine optimisation with rankingCoach Standard

1 / 3

All prices exclude VAT charged at 20%. VAT may be subject to change depending on your country of residence. Terms and conditions apply.

Website

Benefits of an SSL/TLS certificate

Protect your data transactions

SSL secures the browser connection between visitors and your website with up to 256-bit encryption. This means all transmitted data is protected from third parties attempting to access it.

Anti-phishing

You can protect your customers against phishing (attempting to gain sensitive data from usernames) with SSL Business/Premium. Not only will our partner Sectigo check that your company owns and has the right to use the domain, but also that your company is registered and in good standing.

Builds trust with your site visitors

You want your visitors to feel confident that you are protecting the information they submit on your website. Sectigo is a global leader in internet security, meaning you have leading SSL security standards at your fingertips.

Better ranking with Google

Google ranks websites with SSL higher compared to sites without security certification. Professionally validated sites can receive up to 6% higher rankings in search results!

Site Seal

Site Seals are tiny images that let your website visitors know that your page is encrypted and safe. Users are more likely to trust websites with this proven and well-recognised symbol for online security.

Browse the internet safely

Our SSL certificates are compatible with all major browsers and mobile devices so your visitors and customers know their data is protected and encrypted.

Only at IONOS

Your personal consultant

After you order, your personal consultant will guide and support you every step of the way.

24/7 expert support

Technical questions? Our award-winning experts are always available to help by phone, chat or email.

Free SSL - FAQs

A regular SSL certificate covers only one domain and one subdomain within that domain. This might be sufficient to webmasters that own a single website and don’t plan on adding any additional subdomains.

Wildcard SSL certificates, on the other hand, are a special type of SSL certificate, and can cover websites with multiple subdomains, saving you time and money.

When you purchase the Wildcard SSL, you need to place an asterisk (*) before the domain level that you want to encrypt. This signals that all subdomain variants should automatically be covered even if some are added later.

According to Google, having an SSL certificate is the easiest thing a webmaster can do to improve their SEO rankings. Google rewards all website owners with a minor ranking boost when they switch from HTTP to HTTPS, thereby enhancing security measures. With a Wildcard SSL certificate, it’s even easier to signal to Google that all your subdomains are secure, which results in more trust from your website visitors.

Setting up your free SSL Wildcard certificate from IONOS can be done directly in the Control Panel. Log in and simply follow these step-by-step instructions to issue the SSL certificate to the desired domain. Once your SSL Wildcard certificate has successfully gone through the validation process, it will be installed in your webspace, and automatically activated.

There are numerous benefits to an SSL Wildcard cert:

The main one being that you show your visitors you take website security seriously by having this maximum encryption, which in turn helps gain their trust.
The SSL Wildcard certificate enables you to secure all your subdomains under one certificate and gives you the possibility to add other subdomains later without having to re-issue your certificate. The certificate grows with your business.
A faster HTTP/2 connection isn’t possible without an SSL certificate. Since HTTP/2 is becoming the new standard for websites, enhancing usability and speed, you’re more than prepared with your free Wildcard SSL certificate from IONOS.
Another advantage is that you get an SSL certificate for free with certain IONOS products, and it remains free forever, meaning long-lasting security without having to spend a penny.