To begin using SSL, you will first need to create a new subdirectory (or folder) in your site. Into this folder you can place any pages you want to protect with SSL.

Setting Up an SSL Directory

1. Open your File Manager by clicking the "File Manager" link on the Create & Update, Manage, or Index tabs of your Web Hosting Control Panel.
2. Click the "Create Subdirectory" link near the top-right corner of your File Manager.
3. On the following page, enter the name "ssl" (all lowercase) for the new subdirectory in the "Subdirectory Name" text box.
4. Click the "Create Subdirectory" button.
5. You will return to your File Manager, where you'll see a confirmation that you have successfully created your new subdirectory.
6. Now place any web pages and forms you want to protect into the new ssl subdirectory (learn how). You'll need to include a page called index.html (or rename an existing page), which will be the first page that visitors to the secure area will see.

   (Note: Be sure to adjust any links you may have already created that refer to the moved files, or your links to those pages will break.)

How It Works

You can review your newly secured pages at your domain in the SSL directory you created. The web address of the secure directory will look something like this:

http://www.widgetdesigns.com/ssl

When anyone visits your secure directory, your site will redirect them to our secure server, protecting any information submitted from those pages and changing the web address to look something like this:

https://s.p2.hostingprod.com/@widgetdesigns.com (the older version of our secure server) or
https://p12.secure.hostingprod.com/@widgetdesigns.com

The s in https is the secure version of the http protocol, which uses SSL to transport data between systems. The next part of the address (s.p2.hostingprod.com or p12.secure.hostingprod.com) represents Yahoo!'s SSL secure server.

Please note that the name of the server assigned to your domain may very. To locate the exact address of the SSL server you'll be using, visit the Manage tab of your Web Hosting Control Panel, and click the "SSL Secure Server" link. Here you'll find SSL setup instructions and server information specific to your account.

Forms

If you are setting up SSL to protect data submitted in a form, be sure to direct your form results to a secure page or script contained in your SSL directory. Look for the option to specify your "form action tags," which should look something like the example below:

<form method="post" action=
"https://p12.secure.hostingprod.com/@widgetdesigns.com/ssl/script.php">...</form>