OK - I am not a web design expert but I have a site I built with Frontpage and will be using it to sell a handful of items to retailers. Only verified retailers should be able to access the shopping area so I need to have a page where users would login with a username and password that I would assign. Can someone tell me how to setup something like this? Is it very difficult? Thanks.
It's not too difficult, but it's a pain in the ass. First, you need to choose an SSL provider. We use Comodo, and we're pretty happy, but get some recommendations and choose one. Then, the provider will ask you to provide a bunch of information and generate some files on your server (keys and whatnot). If you have root access, the instructions they give you will suffice. If not, your hosting provider will need to do this for you. Finally, you get your certificate information, and your administrative panel should have a box into which you plug it. It's tedious, but it's pretty straightforward if you have a good hosting provider and you choose a good certificate provider.
Most people secure servers for around $7 one-time fee, and it is not tedious, it's actually fun and easy...PM me if interested..
Well, to be fair, I suppose I should have asked one basic question. Do you want a shared certificate or a dedicated one? If you want a shared certificate, you're setting up the secure portion of your site in a shared Web space, typically under a different name. If you want a dedicated certificate, you need to invest in that certificate and then go through that process. I'd have to disagree about any of it being fun, but once you have your certificate, it shouldn't cost you anything more than your normal hosting fees to have a secure site.