SSL with green address bar?

Jenny Walker · #1 (**permalink**) 06-21-09, 21:14

You know how when you visit Paypal in Firefox, the address bar turns green and there's a text and logo on the address bar that says "Paypal, Inc."? I also see the same thing for most bank websites. What kind of SSL is that and how do I get it?

userdan · #2 (**permalink**) 06-22-09, 01:27

The one used in Paypal and many banking sites is called an Extended Validation Certificate (EV SSL). It's a special type of certificate that, like the name suggests, requires stricter investigation and validation before the the certificate is issued. It's very expensive, though.

Amelia · #3 (**permalink**) 06-22-09, 08:17

Right. Bodhost provides GeoTrust True BusinessID with EV SSL Certificate. You can take a look at them here

BODHost - SSL Certificates

AllenKelly · #4 (**permalink**) 06-22-09, 15:36

userdan is correct.

Paypal uses VeriSign Extended Validation (EV) SSL Certificates. Many other banks have deployed these new Certificates because of the Green bars. The Green status bars indicate that visitors are on the site they think they are on, and not some fraudulent Web site attempting to steal their personal information.

EV SSL is a great tool to combat phishing AND gain your visitor's trust.

Here are dozens of Case studies with measured ROI from EV SSL.

Note: Paypal saw a several percentage point drop in abandonment rates after deploying EV SSL.

Jenny Walker · #5 (**permalink**) 06-22-09, 18:43

Thanks for the replies, they were really informative. I can see how a business would benefit from EV SSL. From personal experience, I can say that I do find companies that employ it to be more trustworthy or at least I perceive them to be more trustworthy. It's [/i]really[/i] expensive, though, and since I'm not a big business I probably don't even qualify for one. :(

Ah, well. It's something to look forward to when you've grown enough to be able to afford one.