Why do I get an 'Invalid CSR' error message when I try to activate? Print

This error usually happens because of one of these common issues when generating the CSR in cPanel:

1. Your domain is not properly pointing to your WhoGoHost hosting account (e.g., it’s still pointing elsewhere or is an internal/intranet address).
2. The domain name is not registered or the nameservers are incorrect.
3. In the Common Name (CN) field, you entered an IP address (like 102.34.56.78) or server hostname (like server1.whogohost.com) instead of the actual domain (e.g., mydomain.com or www.mydomain.com).
4. You used special characters (! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) ~ ? > < , . " ' _ etc.) in any of the CSR fields — avoid them completely.
5. You didn’t select the country from the drop-down list (always click the arrow and choose it).
6. When pasting the CSR into the WhoGoHost order form, you missed the header/footer lines or added extra spaces:
   Correct format must be:
   -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE REQUEST-----
   (your encoded data)
   -----END CERTIFICATE REQUEST-----
   Exactly 5 dashes on each side, no extra spaces before or after.

Fix the above, regenerate the CSR, and paste it again — your SSL will activate without issues.