Website Security: A Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up HTTPS on WordPress

As websites continue to be hacked and compromised on a daily basis, website security has become a critical aspect that website owners must consider. One of the most basic and essential steps in safeguarding your website is to install an SSL certificate and navigate your website traffic through HTTPS. HTTPS stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure, and it is an encrypted form of HTTP that ensures that all data transferred between a website’s server and a user’s browser is secure from prying eyes. In this post, we will provide a step-by-step guide on how to set up HTTPS on WordPress.

Step 1: Obtain an SSL Certificate

Before you can enable HTTPS on your WordPress site, you need an SSL certificate. An SSL certificate is a digital certificate that authenticates the identity of your site and encrypts the information sent from your server to a user’s browser. SSL certificates are issued by Certificate Authorities (CA), such as LetsEncrypt, Comodo, and GlobalSign.

There are several ways to obtain an SSL certificate – some web hosting companies provide them for free, while others charge a fee. You can also get a free SSL certificate from Let’s Encrypt, which is a non-profit organization that provides free SSL certificates. To obtain a free SSL certificate from Let’s Encrypt, you need to use a Let’s Encrypt client such as Certbot, which is available for most web servers and operating systems.

Step 2: Install and Activate the SSL Certificate

Once you have obtained an SSL certificate, you need to install it on your server. If you are using a web host that provides SSL certificates, you can activate the SSL certificate directly from your hosting account. If you are using a free SSL certificate from Let’s Encrypt, you need to install it manually on your server.

To install an SSL certificate on your server, you need to use the cPanel or Plesk control panel provided by your web host. If you are using a different control panel, you need to consult your web host’s documentation for instructions on how to install an SSL certificate.

After you have installed the SSL certificate on your server, you need to activate it on your WordPress site. To do this, you need to edit the WordPress configuration file, wp-config.php, and add the following lines of code:

define('FORCE_SSL_ADMIN', true);
if ($_SERVER['HTTP_X_FORWARDED_PROTO'] == 'https')
    $_SERVER['HTTPS']='on';

The first line of code forces the WordPress admin area to use HTTPS, while the second line ensures that WordPress properly recognizes HTTPS traffic.

Step 3: Update Your Website URLs

Once you have activated the SSL certificate on your site, you need to update all the links within your site to use HTTPS instead of HTTP. This includes updating the links in your pages, posts, images, and other resources.

One of the easiest ways to update your links is to use a plugin such as Really Simple SSL or Better WordPress Security. These plugins automatically update your site’s URLs to use HTTPS and ensure that all your resources are loaded securely.

Step 4: Check for Mixed Content Issues

After you have updated your website URLs, you need to ensure that there are no mixed content issues on your site – this occurs when some resources on your page are being loaded over HTTP instead of HTTPS. Mixed content issues can result in security warnings and can negatively impact your search engine rankings.

To check for mixed content issues, you need to use a tool such as the SSL Checker or the SSL Test. Both tools will scan your website and identify any resources that are being loaded over HTTP instead of HTTPS.

Once you have identified the resources causing mixed content issues, you need to update them to use HTTPS instead of HTTP.

Step 5: Update Your Sitemap and Robots.txt

After you have updated all the links on your site and resolved any mixed content issues, you need to update your sitemap and robots.txt files to use HTTPS URLs. This ensures that search engines crawl your site using HTTPS only and avoids any duplicate content issues.

To update your sitemap, you need to use a plugin such as Google XML Sitemaps, which automatically generates a sitemap for your site and submits it to search engines.

To update your robots.txt file, you need to add the following lines of code:

User-agent: *
Disallow:
Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap.xml

The first line specifies which robots should follow the directives, while the second line allows all robots to crawl your site. The third line specifies the location of your sitemap.

Step 6: Test Your HTTPS Site

After you have completed all the above steps, you need to test your HTTPS site to ensure that it is working correctly. You can use a tool such as Why No Padlock or SSL Labs to check if your site’s SSL certificate is installed correctly and if it is valid. You should also test your site’s functionality thoroughly to ensure that all features are working correctly.

Conclusion:

Setting up HTTPS on your WordPress site is essential for maintaining the security and integrity of your site. By following the steps outlined above, you can ensure that your site is fully protected and that all data transferred between your server and users’ browsers is secure. Remember, HTTPS is not just an option in today’s digital era – it is a necessity. Stay secure, and make the switch to HTTPS today!