The process of obtaining and installing an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate on a Squarespace site involves several steps, which Squarespace has streamlined to be as efficient as possible. Here's a comprehensive overview of the process and the timing involved:

1. Generating the SSL Certificate:

When you enable SSL for your Squarespace site, Squarespace automatically generates a free SSL certificate through Let’s Encrypt, a Certificate Authority (CA). This step is initiated as soon as you enable SSL in your site's settings.

2. Verification and Issuance:

1. Verification:
2. Automated Verification: Let’s Encrypt performs automated domain validation to ensure the request is coming from the domain owner. This typically involves checking specific DNS records or files uploaded to your site.

3. Timing: This usually happens almost instantaneously. However, in some cases, it might take a few minutes to verify depending on DNS propagation and responsiveness.

4. Issuance:

5. Certificate Issuance: Once verification is completed successfully, Let’s Encrypt issues the SSL certificate.
6. Timing: Issuance is generally very quick, often completed within minutes after the verification.

3. Installation and Propagation:

1. Automatic Installation:
2. Squarespace automatically installs the issued SSL certificate on your site. No manual intervention is needed from your side.

3. Timing: The installation itself typically takes a few minutes.

4. Propagation:

5. Global Propagation: Although your browser may start showing the secure padlock symbol immediately, it might take a short period (typically up to a few hours) for the SSL certificate status to propagate fully across different servers and ISPs globally.
6. Considerations: Users might not immediately see the secure status on your site depending on their browser cache and internet service provider.

Practical Steps and Considerations:

• Enable SSL in Squarespace: Navigate to Settings > Advanced > SSL within your Squarespace site and enable the SSL certificate option.
• Use 'Secure (HTTPS Only)' Setting: Select the 'Secure' option to ensure that your site uses HTTPS exclusively, enhancing security.
• Patience with DNS Changes: If your domain DNS settings were recently changed (e.g., when connecting a new custom domain), allow up to 24-48 hours for these changes to propagate before enabling SSL to avoid delays.
• Monitor Site: Check your site periodically during the SSL application and installation process to confirm it appears with HTTPS and the secure padlock icon.
• Browser Cache: Clear your browser cache if you notice that the SSL certificate does not appear to be installed after a reasonable time (~24 hours).

Limitations and Potential Delays:

• DNS Propagation Issues: If the domain DNS settings are not correctly configured or have not fully propagated, SSL issuance may be delayed.
• Verification Failures: Incorrect domain settings or ownership issues can lead to failures in the automated verification process, delaying SSL issuance.
• Non-standard Domains: Issues might arise with non-standard or less common TLDs (Top-Level Domains) that might require extra verification steps.

Conclusion:

In optimal conditions, the entire process of obtaining, issuing, and installing an SSL certificate on a Squarespace site can be completed within a matter of minutes to a few hours. However, it is prudent to allow up to 24 hours for full propagation and visibility of the SSL certificate across all global networks and services.

By following these steps and considerations, you can ensure a smooth and swift SSL certification process for your Squarespace website, enhancing its security and trustworthiness for your users.