How to Install SSL on Your WordPress Website

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What is SSL?

SSL is the Standard Security Technology which is used to establish an encrypted and secure link between server and browser. These types of links make sure that all data is transferred from the web server to the browser remains safe and protected.

SSL allows to transmit safely to the sensitive and vital information like social security, credit card information etc. Overall we can say SSL is an industry-standard in security certificates and millions of people using this to save their websites from becoming victims of hackers and phishing.

Why is SSL so important?

In a word, SSL is very important to keep safe your personal and sensitive information like credit card information and so on. The main reason behind the significance of SSL is to keep sensitive information sent across the Internet encrypted and unreadable to ensure that it can only be interpreted by the intended recipient.

If you are running an eCommerce website, then you absolutely need an SSL certificate especially if you are collecting payment information. Most of the payment providers like Stripe, PayPal Pro, Authorize.net, etc. will require you to have a secure connection using SSL. Recently Google announced that using HTTPS and SSL will help improve your site’s SEO.

So if you want to protect site visitors from eavesdroppers, use SSL/TLS certificates for all sites.

How do you install SSL on your WordPress website?

Here, we will discuss how you will install SSL on your WordPress website step by step:

  1. Requirements of installing SSL on your WordPress website:

You will need a few things if you want to install SSL on your WordPress website. All you need is to purchase a SSL certificate. There are some WordPress hosting providers who offer free SSL with their plans. If your hosting provider does not offer a free SSL certificate, then you can ask them if they sell third party SSL Certificates. You can buy SSL from providers like Godaddy.

  1. Install the SSL:

Your first job is done. Once you have bought a SSL certificate, then you have to install that certificate. This is done by deciding which domain will have the certificate. If you have a hosting account with unlimited domains and maintain more than one website, you’ll need to choose which is getting the new SSL.

Legacy theme:

After the certificate has been activated and issued to you by the certificate authority, you can move forward with deploying the certificate in your cPanel. You can follow these steps below:

  • Log in to your cPanel account.
  • Locate and select the SSL/TLS Manager in security option like the screenshot:

 

  • Click on “Manage SSL Sites” under the Install and Manage SSL for your website (HTTPS) menu like this:
  • The fourth step is copying the certificate code you received from the Certificate Authority including >BEGIN CERTIFICATE > and > END CERTIFICATE and paste it into the “Certificate: (CRT)” field on the next page. You can use the Notepad for Windows or TextEdit for macOS on your computer to open the certificate files.
  • Next, you have to click on the Autofill by Certificate button which appears next to the certificate entered, and the system will attempt to fetch the domain name and the private key. You can also choose the domain from the drop-down list and manually can enter the certificate and private key into the corresponding boxes. If the system fails to fetch the private key, you can locate it in the Private Keys (KEY) section of the SSL/TLS Manager. Please remember to include Begin/End headers and footers for the certificate and the key.

  • Next step is copy and pastes the chain of intermediate certificates (CA Bundle) into the box under Certificate Authority Bundle (CABUNDLE) if it is not filled in already. If you want to use this certificate for Mail Services then check the “Enable SNI for Mail Services” box. In this case, you will be able to use your domain on which the SSL certificate has been installed as a hostname of the mail server configuring your mail clients to work via secured ports.

  • Now finally click on the Install Certificate button and you’re DONE!

 

Paper_Lantern theme:

After the certificate has been activated and issued to you by the certificate authority, you can move forward with deploying the certificate in your cPanel. You can follow these steps below:

  • Log into your cPanel account
  • Locate and click on SSL/TLS Manager in the Security section:

  • Click on “Manage SSL Sites” under the Install and Manage SSL for your website (HTTPS) menu:

  • The fourth step is copying the certificate code you received from the Certificate Authority including >BEGIN CERTIFICATE > and > END CERTIFICATE and paste it into the “Certificate: (CRT)” field on the next page. You can use the Notepad for windows or Textedit for macOS on your computer to open the certificate files.
  • Click on the Autofill by Certificate button which appears next to the certificate entered, and the system will attempt to fetch the domain name and the private key. You can also choose e domain from the drop-down list and manually enter the certificate and private key into the corresponding boxes. But if the system fails to fetch the private key, you can locate it in the Private Keys (KEY) section of the SSL/TLS Manager.

  • Let’s copy and paste the chain of intermediate certificates (CA Bundle) into the box under Certificate Authority Bundle (CABUNDLE) if it is not filled in already. If you want to use this certificate for Mail Services then check the “Enable SNI for Mail Services” box. In this case, you will be able to use your domain on which the SSL certificate has been installed as a hostname of the mail server configuring your mail clients to work via secured ports.

  • Finally, click on the Install Certificate and you’re DONE!

  1. Using a plugin:

Once you have installed the SSL certificate, you can use some plugins to make necessary changes. Using a plugin can take a great deal of the work out of using the SSL for your site. There are many plugins which automatically makes the necessary when you purchase the certificate. Some will set up the site just by activating the plugin without requiring additional input from yourself.

Here we will give you some plugins:

First of all, install the plugin and run the settings option. If your settings set up like the screenshot given below then you are done and if not please do like the screenshot.

 

  1. Modifying WordPress Settings:

It’s the time to change the settings in WordPress. First of all simply go to the “Settings” option of your dashboard. Here you will find a textbox named “Site Address”. You have to make sure your domain’s prefix shows “https.” This will help the redirect of your secure content and will solve some problems with posts and pages which not showing correctly.

  1. Set up SSL on Specific pages:

If you want to set up SSL on a specific page of your WordPress website, there are many ways to do that. You can use a plugin which is called WordPress HTTPS (SSL) to do this work. Although this plugin is not updated it is perfect to use.

We hope you have learned how you will install SSL on your WordPress website from this blog. You have liked this blog, please feel free to share this blog with your dearest ones!

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