The Importance of HTTPS for WordPress Sites

WordPress is like, TOTALLY popular! According to W3Techs, it powers over 42% of ALL websites! But you know what’s not cool? When some hackers come around and steal your user data, deface your site, or just mess around with your server. That’s why you need to take steps to protect yourself. And one way to do this is by getting an SSL certificate and using HTTPS encryption.

What exactly is HTTPS?

Ok, so like, HTTPS stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure. Basically, it’s a secure version of HTTP, which is the protocol that connects your web server to the internet. When you use HTTPS, your data is encrypted with a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) or Transport Layer Security (TLS) certificate, which makes it way harder for hackers to intercept your visitors’ data, or any other sensitive info.

Why you need SSL for your WordPress site

Dude, like, Google has been prioritizing HTTPS sites in its search results since 2014. So if you want to rank well on Google, you need to get an SSL certificate.

Steps to make your WordPress site HTTPS-enabled

1. Check if your web host supports HTTPS.
2. Purchase an SSL certificate from a Certificate Authority (CA).
3. Install the SSL certificate on your server.
4. Update your site’s URLs to HTTPS.
5. Redirect all HTTP requests to HTTPS.

Step 1: Check if your web host supports HTTPS

Ok, first off, check if your web host supports HTTPS. Some hosting providers might offer a free SSL certificate with their hosting plans, so you might be in luck! But if your host doesn’t support HTTPS, you’ll need to get an SSL certificate from a trusted CA like Let’s Encrypt, Comodo, GeoTrust, or Digicert.

Step 2: Purchase an SSL certificate from a trusted CA

So like, this is an easy step. Just buy an SSL certificate from a trusted CA. You can choose from different types of certificates, depending on your needs.

Step 3: Install the SSL certificate on your server

Ok, installation time. If your web host provider supports automatic SSL installations, you’re good to go! Just follow the instructions given by your host provider to install your SSL certificate. But if your host doesn’t support automatic installation, you’ll need to install your SSL certificate manually. Here’s how:

1. Log in to your cPanel account and go to the SSL/TLS section.
2. Click on the ‘Manage SSL Sites’ or ‘Install SSL Certificate’ option.
3. In the ‘Install an SSL Website’ section, select the domain name for which you want to install the SSL certificate.
4. Paste the certificate generated by your SSL provider in the ‘Certificate’ field.
5. Provide a ‘User Key’ for your SSL certificate. You can generate a User Key from the same SSL provider where you got your SSL certificate.
6. Provide a ‘Certificate Authority Bundle’. This is a file that contains the entire chain of SSL certificates, from your SSL provider to the root CA. You can obtain your ‘Certificate Authority Bundle’ from your SSL provider.
7. Click on ‘Install Certificate’ to complete the installation.

Step 4: Update your site’s URLs to HTTPS

Ok, now that your SSL certificate is installed, you need to update your site’s URLs to HTTPS. Go to Settings > General and change both the ‘WordPress Address’ and ‘Site Address’ fields from ‘http’ to ‘https.’ This will ensure all your site URLs, images, and files use HTTPS.

Step 5: Redirect all HTTP requests to HTTPS

Finally, you need to make sure all HTTP requests are redirected to HTTPS. This is an important step, because you don’t want visitors accessing your site via unsecured HTTP. The most common way to redirect HTTP to HTTPS is through htaccess. Here’s how:

1. Locate your website’s .htaccess file in your WordPress root directory.
2. Open the .htaccess file in a text editor.
3. Add the following code at the top of the file:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} !=on
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]

4. Save the file and upload it to your site’s root directory.
5. Test it out by visiting your website via HTTP. It should automatically redirect to HTTPS.

In conclusion

So like, protecting your WordPress site with HTTPS is super important to keep your visitors’ data safe and to rank well on Google. It’s not that hard to install an SSL certificate and make your site HTTPS-enabled. Just follow the steps outlined in this article, and you’ll be good to go!