As your website grows, its structure often becomes more complex. You might have a main site, an online store, a blog, internal systems, or custom platforms, each on its own subdomain. Securing all of these with SSL certificates is crucial, including multi-level subdomains such as blog.store.example.com, to ensure every part of your site is encrypted and trusted by visitors.

While a standard Wildcard SSL certificate is perfect to secure subdomains (like shop.example.com or mail.example.com), it can’t protect deeper, multi-level subdomains. To secure these more advanced setups, a Multi-Domain SSL or SAN (Subject Alternative Name) certificate is the ideal solution.

A SAN SSL lets you protect multiple subdomains under a single certificate, even across different structures. This simplifies certificate management, reduces costs, and ensures every part of your online ecosystem is encrypted and trusted.

How to Secure Subdomains with One SSL Certificate

1. Identify all the subdomains that need protection, including multi-level ones such as:

blog.store.example.com
secure.payments.example.com
shop.example.com

2. Choose a SAN SSL certificate that supports multi-level domains.

3. Generate a CSR (Certificate Signing Request) and ensure all the required subdomains are included as SAN entries.

4. Install the SSL certificate on your hosting platform or server once issued.

5. With the correct certificate, all targeted subdomains will be covered under one secure, browser-trusted SSL.

6. If you wish to purchase an SAN SSL certificate from Domains.co.za, contact our sales or support teams, or open a ticket.

Additional Information

• Every subdomain, regardless of how deep its structure goes, receives strong, consistent encryption.
• Instead of purchasing and maintaining separate certificates, a single SAN certificate secures them all, reducing costs and administrative load.
• Our team is available to help configure, verify, and install SAN certificates to ensure full coverage.
• When installed correctly, SAN SSL certificates are recognised and trusted by all major browsers.
• Some older systems or legacy applications may not support multi-level SAN entries. Testing and verification are recommended.
• All listed subdomains share the same certificate validity period, so it’s important to track renewal dates carefully.

Login to Domains.co.za Account

1. Go to the Domains.co.za website Account Login page.

2. Enter your Email and Password and click the Sign In button.

3. You will see the Domains.co.za Dashboard, displaying the Manage Account menu on the left and your Account Information, Account Overview and Open Support Tickets on the right.