SSL Certificates are a must-have for any eCommerce site, but they’re also critical for other types of websites. If you’re thinking about getting one and your site is hosted on WordPress, then this post will show you how to install a free SSL certificate on WordPress.
Step 1. Get yourself a free SSL certificate
There are several companies that provide free SSL certificates, such as Let’s Encrypt and Comodo. We’ll be using Let’s Encrypt in this tutorial because it has become the standard and is supported by WordPress since version 4.7 (released in December 2017). Follow these steps to install your certificate:
- Go to letsencrypt.org and click on “Get Started” under the green “Free Secure Certificate” button in the top right corner of their page.
- Fill out your email address and click on “Next” at the bottom of the page you’re taken to after entering your information–this will take you to a new page where you can create a folder for storing your SSL certificate files or download them directly onto your computer as zip files containing both keys file (.key) as well as certificate file (.crt). If this is not what you want, then go back through all three steps until they are correct before proceeding further with installing either way.”
Step 2. Configure your WordPress site to use HTTPS
To make sure that the redirect from HTTP to HTTPS is working, you’ll need to configure your WordPress site to use HTTPS. In the WordPress admin area, click on the “HTTPS” tab and make sure the “Force SSL” option is checked. Make sure that you have selected Let’s Encrypt as your SSL certificate provider, as well.
Step 3. Fix mixed content issues on your site
You can fix mixed content issues by:
- Disabling plugins that use HTTP content
- [Enabling HTTPS on your server]
Your WordPress website can be more secure and trustworthy when you install an SSL Certificate
Your WordPress website can be more secure and trustworthy when you install an SSL Certificate.
The SSL Certificate ensures that the data being exchanged between you, as a website owner and your users is encrypted. This makes it difficult for hackers to intercept or tamper with any information sent between your server and their browser (i.e., their computer or smartphone).
When visitors see that green padlock in their browser’s address bar (or see “https” instead of “http”), they know that the connection between them and your site is secure; this makes them feel safer about entering personal details such as credit card numbers into forms on the page, which means more sales for you!
We hope this article helped you understand how to install an SSL certificate on your WordPress website. Keep in mind that it’s a process that can take some time and effort, so don’t be discouraged if it takes more than one try to get everything right. However, if you follow our step-by-step guide closely and pay attention to details like file permissions or DNS settings, then there should be no problem getting yourself set up with an SSL certificate today!