Having an SSL certificate for your website not only secures communications between your visitors and the server but also activates the padlock icon in browsers, signifying a secure connection. With Google now flagging sites lacking SSL certificates directly in the browser, the importance of securing your site with SSL has never been greater.
Hostyt ensures all hosted sites/domains are automatically included in our Auto SSL system, free of charge with every hosting package. This means if your domain is pointed to us (via nameservers or an A record), the system will automatically request and install an SSL certificate if one isn't already present. This seamless process requires no action on your part and typically completes within 4 hours after domain pointing. If the SSL certificate hasn't appeared after this period, or you encounter any issues, please contact us for support.
To check or manually initiate SSL installation:
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Log into cPanel.
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Navigate to the "SSL/TLS Status" section.
There, you'll find a list of all domains and subdomains in your cPanel, along with their SSL status. -
Select the domains for which you want to force the AutoSSL installation and click "Run AutoSSL".
Ensuring your site operates over SSL is straightforward. Typically, adding a rewrite rule in your site's .htaccess file will redirect all HTTP traffic to HTTPS, ensuring all requests are securely encrypted:
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]
This setup is crucial after your SSL certificate is installed and active. For content management systems like WordPress, it's essential to update the Site URL and Homepage in the wp-admin area to use HTTPS. This change ensures all resources, such as images and stylesheets, load over a secure connection. Plugins like Really Simple SSL can automate these adjustments for you.