If you are looking to secure multiple wildcard domains, but want to keep them all under one certificate, look no further than the Multi-Domain Wildcard SSL certificates. Offered by all major Certificate Authorities, these SSL Certificates are a helpful option that will give you the encryption your domains need, while also saving you time and money.

Multi-Domain Wildcard Certificates can secure both fully-qualified domain names and wildcard domains within their SAN entries. The coverage for a Multi-Domain wildcard certificate would look like this:

Common Name: domain.com

SAN 1: *.website.org

SAN 2: www.example.net

SAN 3: *.mail.site.com

SAN 4: address.edu

Benefits

There are many benefits to a Multi-Domain Wildcard SSL Certificate, as it is one of the most versatile certificates offered.

Some of these benefits include:

• Secure unlimited sub-domains under multiple domains with one certificate
• Easily manage and protect all domains with one certificate
• HTTPS and Security Padlock
• Availability in DV (Domain Validated) and OV (Organization Validated)
• Includes a Site Seal

Generation

The generation process for a Multi-Domain Wildcard Certificate is simple. One Multi-Domain Wildcard Certificate can secure anywhere from up to 100 to 250 domains, depending on the vendor purchased from. Regardless of the vendor, there is a rule that must always be followed to generate the certificate:

The CSR for a Multi-Domain Wildcard must have a non-wildcard domain to serve as the Common Name.

Once the CSR is generated for this certificate, you can include the additional domains, or SANS. This is where you will put the Wildcard Domains.

Specifics

Like all SSL Certificates, Multi-Domain Wildcard Certificates have specific things they cannot be used for.

These include:

• This certificate is not ideal if you do not want separate domains to be related on one certificate.
• This certificate does not automatically secure the non-www versions of the Wildcard domains.
• This certificate will not cover the Wildcard version of the Common Name unless specifically requested.

If you’re needing to secure the Wildcard version of the Common Name, you can do so by adding an additional SAN.

If you ever need to remove or add on another domain, you can do so at any point of your certificate’s validity period by reissuing the certificate.