In this article
When you visit a website and see a small padlock next to the address, that site is using SSL. Without it, browsers show a "Not secure" warning — and many visitors leave right away.
What is SSL?
SSL (and its modern version, TLS) encrypts the connection between your visitor's browser and your website. In simple terms, it stops other people from reading or changing the information on the way.
You can tell a site uses SSL when its address starts with https:// instead of http://.
Why it matters
It protects your visitors
Contact forms, logins and payments all send personal information. SSL keeps that information private.
It builds trust
A "Not secure" label is one of the fastest ways to lose a customer. The padlock tells people your site is safe to use.
It helps your Google ranking
Google uses HTTPS as a ranking signal. A secure site has a small advantage over an insecure one.
Modern features require it
Many browser features, such as location access and some payment options, only work on secure sites.
How to get SSL for your website
The good news: SSL is often free today.
- Check your hosting. Many hosts include free certificates from Let's Encrypt.
- Turn it on for your domain. This is usually a single setting in your hosting panel.
- Redirect all traffic to HTTPS. Make sure visitors who type "http://" are sent to the secure version.
- Fix mixed content. Images or scripts loaded over "http://" can break the padlock. Update them to "https://".
- Set up automatic renewal. Certificates expire, so renewal should happen automatically.
A quick checklist
- Your site loads with https://
- The padlock shows on every page
- http:// links redirect to https://
- The certificate renews automatically
If any of these are missing, it's worth fixing soon. Our Deployment & Hosting service includes SSL setup and monitoring, so you never have to think about it.
Written by
Jordan Lee
Cloud & DevOps Engineer
Jordan sets up servers, deployments and monitoring, and keeps client projects fast, secure and online.
