WordPress HTTPS: How to Install an SSL Certificate
Posted: Sun Jan 19, 2025 8:46 am
Creativemotions»WordPress Security»WordPress HTTPS: How to Install an SSL Certificate
WordPress https
The security of your website, its visitors, and their data is paramount, which means you need to do everything you can to protect your visitors' personal information. Exposing that data to a breach, even unintentionally, could lead to the collapse of an entire company.
With this in mind, many websites protect sensitive data by implementing Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology . In short, SSL encrypts all information sent over the web, including data traveling between your website and your visitors' web browsers.
In this post, we’ll explain both SSL and the related concept of Hypertext overseas chinese in usa data Protocol Secure (HTTPS) . Then we’ll talk about how to migrate your WordPress site from HTTP to HTTPS and offer some tips for making the switch.
Table of Contents view
What is HTTPS protocol?
If you look at most web addresses, you will see that the domain name is preceded by a very familiar set of letters. Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is essentially how web pages transmit data. HTTP is much more than that, but you don't need to understand all the details.
The important thing is that, by default, data sent over HTTP connections is not encrypted. This means that hackers can obtain your data (and that of your website visitors) using malicious means.
This is obviously not good news for companies that handle sensitive personal information, such as credit cards and address details.
Secure Socket Layers (SSL) is a protocol that “fits right in” with the HTTP protocol to create Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS). It works just like HTTP, except that it encrypts the data transmission and prevents anyone from accessing it.
To set up HTTPS, you need to purchase an “SSL certificate” and connect it to your website. This provides an encrypted data stream for information sent across the web.
Why switch from HTTP to HTTPS?
We have already touched on some of the reasons why you should switch from HTTP to HTTPS. In summary, the main goal is to protect your personal data from hackers and spammers.
There are also a number of secondary reasons for implementing HTTPS, including increasing user trust. Many people now know what a secure website designation looks like: a padlock in the web browser means the site you are visiting is secure:
wordpress site on https
If a website asks for personal information and is not secure, customers will know immediately. This can reduce user trust and contribute to a reduction in your business. Additionally, search engines have also started to prefer HTTPS sites over those that use the HTTP protocol.
HTTPS Protocol for SEO
Search engines now recognize that a secure website is important on several levels and have started to “reward” sites that use encrypted connections. Google, for example, marks sites with HTTP protocol as Not Secure in web browsers and also penalizes them in search engine rankings.
In other words, search engines like Google want to make sure that users are going to sites that will protect their data, so they rank those sites higher in order to encourage their use.
How to Migrate a WordPress Site from HTTP to HTTPS
At this point, you might be wondering how to actually implement HTTPS on WordPress. There are several steps you can take to permanently encrypt your data. The first and most important is to purchase a suitable WordPress SSL certificate.
WordPress https
The security of your website, its visitors, and their data is paramount, which means you need to do everything you can to protect your visitors' personal information. Exposing that data to a breach, even unintentionally, could lead to the collapse of an entire company.
With this in mind, many websites protect sensitive data by implementing Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology . In short, SSL encrypts all information sent over the web, including data traveling between your website and your visitors' web browsers.
In this post, we’ll explain both SSL and the related concept of Hypertext overseas chinese in usa data Protocol Secure (HTTPS) . Then we’ll talk about how to migrate your WordPress site from HTTP to HTTPS and offer some tips for making the switch.
Table of Contents view
What is HTTPS protocol?
If you look at most web addresses, you will see that the domain name is preceded by a very familiar set of letters. Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is essentially how web pages transmit data. HTTP is much more than that, but you don't need to understand all the details.
The important thing is that, by default, data sent over HTTP connections is not encrypted. This means that hackers can obtain your data (and that of your website visitors) using malicious means.
This is obviously not good news for companies that handle sensitive personal information, such as credit cards and address details.
Secure Socket Layers (SSL) is a protocol that “fits right in” with the HTTP protocol to create Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS). It works just like HTTP, except that it encrypts the data transmission and prevents anyone from accessing it.
To set up HTTPS, you need to purchase an “SSL certificate” and connect it to your website. This provides an encrypted data stream for information sent across the web.
Why switch from HTTP to HTTPS?
We have already touched on some of the reasons why you should switch from HTTP to HTTPS. In summary, the main goal is to protect your personal data from hackers and spammers.
There are also a number of secondary reasons for implementing HTTPS, including increasing user trust. Many people now know what a secure website designation looks like: a padlock in the web browser means the site you are visiting is secure:
wordpress site on https
If a website asks for personal information and is not secure, customers will know immediately. This can reduce user trust and contribute to a reduction in your business. Additionally, search engines have also started to prefer HTTPS sites over those that use the HTTP protocol.
HTTPS Protocol for SEO
Search engines now recognize that a secure website is important on several levels and have started to “reward” sites that use encrypted connections. Google, for example, marks sites with HTTP protocol as Not Secure in web browsers and also penalizes them in search engine rankings.
In other words, search engines like Google want to make sure that users are going to sites that will protect their data, so they rank those sites higher in order to encourage their use.
How to Migrate a WordPress Site from HTTP to HTTPS
At this point, you might be wondering how to actually implement HTTPS on WordPress. There are several steps you can take to permanently encrypt your data. The first and most important is to purchase a suitable WordPress SSL certificate.