WordPress – Add SSL to your website
Adding an SSL certificate to your website, solves the issues with the latest Google Chrome tactics of labeling your website “Unsecure” and helps you provide a more secure place for your visitors and customers.
What is an SSL certificate?
SSL certificates are small data files that digitally bind a cryptographic key to an organization’s details. When installed on a web server, it activates the padlock and the https protocol and allows secure connections from a web server to a browser. This also provides the means for your visitor to visually identify your website as a legitimate website.
How to install in WordPress
First of all, an SSL Certificate is not a WordPress addon, but a Server/Domain configuration and installation, that your web hoster should help you to install. Period.
Having said that, there are many types of SSL certificates that might suite you.
The main issue that most WordPress admins face, is that having a variety of plugins installed on their wordpress, the will usually get a “Not Secure – Mixed Content” Message instead of the green Secure padlock on their browser address bar.
This can be easily be fixed using a plugin as well.
To activate SSL security on your WordPress site, simply follow these steps:
1. Make sure your hosting provider has implemented an SSL on your domain name (it can be a free SSL Certificate such as Let’s Encrypt, or a paid more secure and recognisable SSL Certificate such as Comodo Wildcard SSL) ATTENTION!!! If you are not sure your web host has correctly installed an SSL Certificate for your Domain, Step 2 will render your WordPress unreachable!
2. Login to your WordPress Admin area and go to Settings->General. In that page, change WordPress Address (URL) & Site Address (URL) to your https:// accordingly.
3. After having activated these, your wp-admin administration page, should be reachable and the green “Secure” padlock should appear. Google Chrome displays the word “Secure” in green colour instead of a green padlock.
If you receive an “info” icon instead it should mean you actually have Mixed Content on your website (links on your homepage that are https:// and links that aren’t, alltogether).
This is easily solvable using SSL Insecure Content Fixer plugin
This Plugin is quite easy to use. After installing it and activating it, you will find it under SSL Insecure Content Fixer. Its options are quite forthcoming , since you usually need to choose the options in the Fix insecure content section. A good advice is setting this option to “Capture” (most resource using but safest option), and then working your way upwards.