What is Wildcard SSL?
A Wildcard SSL is issued as *.yourdomain.com and protects every first-level subdomain of the same domain with one certificate. The asterisk (*) acts as a wildcard, so addresses such as blog.yourdomain.com, shop.yourdomain.com or panel.yourdomain.com are all covered by the same certificate. The Wildcard certificates we list also cover the root domain (yourdomain.com).
Its biggest advantage is flexibility: new subdomains you create after buying the certificate are covered automatically at no extra cost.
What does it cover, and what not?
| Address | Covered by *.yourdomain.com? |
|---|---|
| yourdomain.com | Yes (on the listed products) |
| www.yourdomain.com | Yes |
| blog.yourdomain.com | Yes |
| api.blog.yourdomain.com | No (second level) |
| anotherdomain.com | No (different domain) |
Second-level subdomains need a separate *.blog.yourdomain.com certificate. If you want to combine different domains in a single certificate, a multi-domain (SAN) certificate is the better fit.
Who is it for?
- SaaS products: platforms that give every customer a subdomain such as customer.yourapp.com.
- Multi-section business sites: companies hosting their blog, careers, support and investor relations pages on separate subdomains.
- E-commerce brands: businesses using separate addresses for the store, campaigns and customer panel.
- Development teams: agencies running test, staging and demo environments on subdomains.
2026 Wildcard SSL prices
Prices are in USD, per year and exclude VAT. All products are domain validated (DV) and issued immediately after validation.
| Certificate | Annual price | Warranty | Delivery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sectigo Wildcard SSL | 89.99 USD | $50,000 | Instant |
| Certum Commercial Wildcard DV | 105.06 USD | €400,000 | Instant |
| RapidSSL Wildcard DV | 106.99 USD | $50,000 | Instant |
| Thawte DV Wildcard | 186.96 USD | $500,000 | Instant |
When is a Wildcard more economical?
The table below compares buying a separate Sectigo Domain SSL (12.39 USD per year) for each subdomain with buying one Sectigo Wildcard SSL (89.99 USD per year):
| Addresses secured | Separate DV SSL total | Sectigo Wildcard |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 37.17 USD | 89.99 USD |
| 5 | 61.95 USD | 89.99 USD |
| 8 | 99.12 USD | 89.99 USD |
| 10 | 123.90 USD | 89.99 USD |
| 20 | 247.80 USD | 89.99 USD |
From eight subdomains upwards a Wildcard is simply cheaper. Even with fewer addresses, managing a single certificate can be worth it because it simplifies renewal tracking and installation.
Validation and installation steps
- Generate a CSR: enter *.yourdomain.com in the Common Name field.
- Complete the order: add the CSR on the order form.
- Validate the domain: Wildcard certificates use a DNS record (TXT/CNAME) or an authorised email address such as admin@; industry rules do not allow file-based (HTTP) validation for Wildcards.
- Install the certificate: install the same certificate on the server or servers hosting your subdomains. Installation is free for Limitsiz Bulut customers.
- Test: open every subdomain over https:// to check that the certificate chain is installed correctly.
Installing in different environments
- cPanel: upload the certificate, private key and CA bundle under SSL/TLS > Install and Manage SSL; you can select the same certificate for each subdomain.
- Plesk: add the certificate under SSL/TLS Certificates and assign it to the relevant domains.
- Nginx and Apache: configure the certificate and intermediates as a single combined chain (fullchain) file; an incomplete chain causes trust errors, especially on mobile devices.
- CDNs and load balancers: if your traffic passes through a CDN or load balancer, the certificate must be uploaded to that layer too.
Common mistakes
- Getting the Common Name wrong: if the CSR says yourdomain.com instead of *.yourdomain.com, a standard certificate is issued.
- Assuming the second level is covered: people overlook that addresses such as api.panel.yourdomain.com need a separate certificate.
- Not updating every server after a reissue: keep a list of every server the certificate is installed on; if one is missed during renewal, that subdomain will show an error.
Security considerations
- Protect the private key: the Wildcard’s private key is the key to all your subdomains. Where possible, reissue with a separate CSR for different servers.
- Be careful with third-party services: if a subdomain points to an external service, do not share your Wildcard key with it; use a separate DV certificate for that subdomain.
- Clean up unused subdomains: DNS records pointing to services you no longer use can lead to subdomain takeover.
How Wildcard SSL affects SEO
What matters to search engines is that every subdomain is served over HTTPS with a valid certificate; whether that certificate is a Wildcard or a single-domain one does not directly affect rankings. A Wildcard does, however, make it easy for new subdomains to go live on HTTPS from day one and reduces the risk of browser warnings caused by expired or missing certificates. Remember to add each subdomain to Google Search Console as its own property, set up permanent (301) redirects from HTTP to HTTPS and list only https:// URLs in your sitemaps.
2026 validity rules
From 15 March 2026, Wildcard certificates, like all public SSL certificates, are issued for at most 200 days; this falls to 100 days in 2027 and 47 days in 2029. Your certificate is reissued free of charge throughout your annual subscription. Because a Wildcard is a single file, renewals with shorter lifetimes are much easier to manage than dozens of separate certificates. Setting up DNS validation permanently speeds up reissues.
Wildcard vs. DV vs. business SSL
| Need | Recommended certificate |
|---|---|
| A single domain (including www) | DV SSL |
| Many subdomains of the same domain | Wildcard SSL |
| Company identity shown in the certificate | OV / EV SSL |
| Subdomains + company identity | OV Wildcard (on request) |
If you want to sell SSL to your clients, take a look at our SSL reseller program.
Conclusion
Wildcard SSL brings both cost savings and easier management to growing digital estates. For the infrastructure hosting your subdomains, see our unlimited hosting or VPS server options, and for a new project start by choosing your domain name. Follow our blog for more on web security.