Configuring with shared SSL Certificate

Hi,

I'm setting up an eCommerce Shop for the first time using HikaShop (I've used the "Catalog" mode before), and I'm having trouble getting things to work with the shared SSL Certificate provided by my hosting company.

First of all:

Is it possible to use a shared SSL Certificate without visitors getting "This Connection is Untrusted" popup messages? I've been reading around on eCommerce forums and can't find a clear answer to this. There seems to be some agreement that shared SSL Certificates are by definition a little less secure but are OK for small businesses, and of course the domain will change which might put some customers off - but I can't get a clear answer as to whether the following message is an inherent limitation of using a shared SSL certificate:

*************************************************
This Connection is Untrusted

You have asked Firefox to connect securely to www.julian-andrews.info , but we can't confirm that your connection is secure.

Normally, when you try to connect securely, sites will present trusted identification to prove that you are going to the right place. However, this site's identity can't be verified.

What Should I Do?

If you usually connect to this site without problems, this error could mean that someone is trying to impersonate the site, and you shouldn't continue.

Technical Details

www.julian-andrews.info uses an invalid security certificate.

The certificate is only valid for the following names:
*.secure-secure.co.uk , secure-secure.co.uk

(Error code: ssl_error_bad_cert_domain)
...
...

**************************************************

Second Question:

I've added the following code to the Display>View>Checkout - Step file (as described in post www.hikashop.com/en/support/forum/4-how-...hared-ssl.html#12809 ):

if(strtolower($_SERVER['HTTPS']) != "on"){ 
 $app =& JFactory::getApplication(); 
 $requestUri = $_SERVER['PHP_SELF']; 
 if (!empty($_SERVER['QUERY_STRING'])) $requestUri = rtrim($requestUri,'/').'?'.$_SERVER['QUERY_STRING']; 
 $app->redirect('https://web155.secure-secure.co.uk/julian-andrews.info'.$requestUri); 
}

Thanks for the info Nicolas - I'll look into SEF and also speak to my hosting company.

Another question regarding SEF. I assume most companies using Joomla and HikaShop have SEF turned on, so can most SSL certificate servers handle sub folders in URLs?

If I don't want to setup a certificate do I just set the "Force SSL on Checkout" option to off?

And does this mean there will be no secure connection when the user enters their address details, but when they come to making their payment they will be redirected to the selected payment bureau's secure website (e.g. PayPal)?

Thanks Nicolas. You've helped clarify the options for me.