How do I fix an SSL Certificate that’s registered to an incorrect name?

When you have an SSL certificate, your domain name will be able to display the HTTPS protocol. This is a highly significant factor for search engine optimization as its a sign of security. 

An essential security issue is an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate name error. If you are experiencing this problem, it indicates that you own a certificate, which is a positive sign, however, the certificate’s name does not correspond to your actual domain name, which may be damaging to your SEO results. 

Keep reading to find out how to fix an SSL certificate that’s registered to an incorrect name.

What to do when the name on an SSL certificate is incorrect 

You’ve discovered that your SSL certificate has the wrong domain name. Now what? Here are five possible solutions.

Reissue an updated certificate

If you buy an SSL certificate that covers www.example.com but forget to add www to the SAN, the certificate won’t work. However, if you purchase an SSL certificate for a domain like www.example.com, the certifying authorities will likely issue you one for just “example.com” without www. After the certificate has been issued, the necessary domain name can be added. 

You will have to reissue the certificate with the updated SAN names to achieve this.

Verify correct SSL certificate installation

You need to verify that the certificate has been installed successfully. You can make the verification with a tool like SuperMonitoring.

Use a static IP address 

SSL installation could require a static IP address if you use certain hosting services. The operation of other websites may become disrupted if an SSL certificate is implemented on a website with a dynamic IP address. Getting a static IP address will fix this problem, as it’s the only thing that’s really needed.

Update DNS records

If the IP address that is connected with the web domain has been modified, there is a likelihood that an error will occur. It’s possible that even if you acquired a static IP address and installed an SSL certificate properly, the domain will still be linked to its IP address. Therefore, the correct approach is to update the DNS records. As soon as that happens, the issue will be fixed.

Modify the certificate settings by hosting provider

There is a chance that your web host will tie each domain to their SSL certificates automatically. There will be a common name mismatch problem if you try to install a certificate with an SSL / TLS protocol that a different company issued. So, visit an SSL certificate authority and read through the information about the certificate. If your hosting provider’s name appears in a SAN or common name, that’s probably the source of the problem.The next step is to get in touch with the hosting company and request that they disable the SSL certificate. You should not have trouble installing a new SSL certificate, regardless of who hosts your website.

If you’re looking for SEO project management software to better manage your workflow, clients, and business – evisio.co is your solution. Try evisio.co for free here!

Start using evisio today at no cost.

Complete access without commitment.

Start for Free

What evisio is all about

Evisio helps agencies, marketers, and SEO consultants get results, no matter their level of SEO knowledge. It takes the guesswork out of SEO by telling you exactly what to do to improve your rankings and makes SEO simple by bringing all the parts of your SEO process together in one place.