Interested in securing your website? There are several types of certificates out there at wildly varying prices, but they all provide exactly the same function–encryption. In most cases, you’re no more secure with a $300 certificate than a $10 one; the difference lies in the verification the certificate company performs to confirm your identity. In short, if you’re not a bank or think your users won’t trust you using a cheapo certificate, then you’ll be fine with a cheapo.
Below the cheapest SSL certificates I found online and have personally used:
AlphaSSL from Dynadot ($41.50/5 years)
Positive SSL from CheapSSLs.com ($24/3 years)
RapidSSL from CheapSSLs.com ($27/3 years)
RapidSSL from Servertastic ($50/5 years)
As you can see, you get discounts if you pay for multiple years in advance. If you plan on keeping the domain for a while, it shouldn’t hurt–just be sure to keep the certificate and key in case you decide to switch servers over time.
If you know of any other deals, let me know!