If you have received an email from GoDaddy or another provider warning that your website's SSL certificate is expiring, forward it to us before you buy, renew, or change anything. Industry standards changed this year, certificates are now replaced more often, and the notices that follow do not always mean something is wrong with your website.
What changed with SSL certificates
SSL certificates enable the secure HTTPS connection that protects information passing between your website and its visitors. Until March 2026, a certificate could be valid for about a year.
New requirements from the CA/Browser Forum, the industry body of certificate authorities and browser makers that sets these rules, cut the maximum lifespan to 200 days as of March 15, 2026, with further reductions to 100 days in March 2027 and 47 days in March 2029. Shorter lifespans reduce the risk from compromised or improperly issued certificates.
| Effective date | Maximum certificate lifespan |
|---|---|
| Before March 15, 2026 | 398 days (about 13 months) |
| March 15, 2026 | 200 days |
| March 15, 2027 | 100 days |
| March 15, 2029 | 47 days |
Why the notices are more frequent
Providers such as GoDaddy send notifications about certificate expirations, renewals, billing, and other account matters. These messages do not always distinguish between an SSL certificate expiring and a paid SSL subscription expiring. Your subscription might be paid through next year even though the certificate itself must be replaced several times before then.
An expiration notice does not necessarily mean your website is insecure or that you need to purchase another certificate. Some notices do require attention to prevent a service interruption, which is why we ask to see every one of them.
How Risingline is addressing these changes
Risingline has been transitioning client websites to Cloudflare, a leading provider of website security and infrastructure services. Cloudflare automatically manages public-facing SSL certificates and supports specialized certificates valid for up to 15 years between Cloudflare and the hosting server.
This approach maintains secure, encrypted connections while significantly reducing the administrative work associated with SSL certificate renewals. It also eliminates the need for many separately purchased SSL certificates.
What to do with the next notice
If Risingline manages your website, forward any SSL-related notice to us before purchasing, renewing, or changing anything. We will tell you whether it needs action or only reflects the new certificate schedule.
Domain registration renewals are separate from SSL certificates and still have to be kept current. If a domain notice looks like a bill, read our guide to domain registration "bills" before paying it.