SSL certificates and the padlock

An SSL certificate encrypts the connection between your visitors and your site. Without one, browsers label the site not secure, and visitors are right to be cautious about entering information on it.

Your certificate is included

Every plan includes a free SSL certificate issued automatically through AutoSSL. There is nothing to buy and nothing to renew manually. The certificate is issued and renewed by the system, and your domain needs to be pointing at your hosting for that to happen.

Confirming it is working

Visit your site using an address beginning with https://. You should see a padlock in the address bar rather than a warning. If you still see a warning immediately after setting the site up, wait a short while, as the certificate is often issued within a few hours of the domain resolving. If it is still not working after that, open a support ticket and tell us the domain.

Making sure visitors always use the secure version

It is worth forcing every visitor onto the secure address rather than leaving it optional. This is usually a setting in your content management system, and we can help you set it up if your site does not already do it.

Passwords and account security

• Use a different password for your hosting, your email and your website administration. Reusing one password means one breach affects everything.
• Use a password manager rather than writing passwords down.
• Remove user accounts that are no longer needed, particularly administrator accounts on your website.
• Apply software updates promptly, as most compromised sites are compromised through outdated code.