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My client has been using Thawte SSL certificates for some years which has been a reasonable investment, but upon renewing the prices seemed higher (maybe they are, maybe they aren't).

I've in the meantime used GoDaddy SSL certificate which are quite inexpensive (Starts at 30 bucks for a year).

What makes an SSL certificate worth more from one place versus another? I know the higher level encryption costs more, and some small bells and whistles add up, but they can be a few hundred a year.

So, how do you really buy one of these and know when you're spending too much?

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On a technical level the certs are the same. In the context of your question, it boils down to two concerns, Trusted Root and Reputation.

You want your certificate signer to be in the Trusted Root certificate authorities list on all major platforms: Windows/IE, Firefox, etc. This means your client and their customers will not need to install a trusted root or intermediate cert to get an SSL connection. By the way GoDaddy is in the Trusted Root certificate authorities list on Windows/IE & Firefox. There may be other discount SSL companies out there that are not in Trusted Root.

The reputation part is more of a soft topic. How much is it worth that when someone sees your cert it is signed by Thawte or signed by Verisign? Only you can judge the perception factor here.

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