HTTPS is a secure way to communicate over the Internet. HTTPS websites are more secure because they encrypt sensitive data before it leaves your computer—even if it is on unencrypted websites. Updating HTTP URLs to HTTPS is crucial for web security and resolving insecure content warnings.
With HTTPS enabled, visitors will see a padlock icon in the browser address bar when visiting your site. This icon indicates that the site is secure and verified by an online trust seal. You can also see this icon in the browser toolbar when you’re logged into your WordPress admin area.
Without HTTPS, any data you enter into a WordPress post or edit on a website would be visible to anyone who visits your site. HTTPS has many other benefits, such as increased security, better search engine optimization (SEO), and reduced server load.
What is HTTPs website?
HTTPS (HTTP Secure) is an internet protocol that encrypts data sent to a website from a web browser on your computer or mobile device. This can be used to ensure that anyone monitoring the connection between your device and the website cannot learn what you are sending, nor can they modify the data being sent.
It is crucial to redirect to the HTTPS version of a website for enhanced security and search engine optimization.
What happens when HTTPS is used?
When you visit a secure (HTTPS) website, your device uses an encrypted, temporary connection to send your data back and forth. The website then receives this secure connection information, decodes it, and sends it back out over an unencrypted connection. All of this happens in the background so you don’t even notice anything has changed. You can think of HTTPS as a form of encryption for the web.
HTTPS websites are more secure than regular websites because they use SSL certificates to create encrypted connections that are harder to break. These certificates are issued by trusted third parties like VeriSign or Thawte so that they can be trusted implicitly.
What security protocols are used?
HTTPS protocols also use different cyphers, like AES-256 and 3DES, compared to SSL, which uses only 128-bit encryption. Additionally, HTTPS websites will have a green padlock symbol next to their URL address to show they are secure and trustworthy. The main benefit of HTTPS is that it keeps your information safe from eavesdroppers, hackers, and other third parties.
Why is it important?
As a website owner, you must be aware of any potential security threats affecting your website. To keep your website safe, you should always use HTTPS whenever possible.
HTTPS can help prevent unauthorized third-party access to your site. Hackers can easily find sensitive information like usernames and passwords when they see plain text on a website. HTTPS prevents this by encrypting all communication between the server and the browser.
Have you installed SSL certificates? It is the first step!
An SSL certificate is a digital document proving a website is secure.
It’s obtained by a web server using encryption software. To communicate securely, the server must use a private key to encrypt the data and a public key to send the encrypted data. After installing an SSL certificate, updating the ‘Site Address (URL)’ and ‘WordPress Address (URL)’ in the site settings is crucial to ensure proper functionality.
When someone connects to the site, they can verify the certificate’s authenticity by looking up the public key in their browser’s list of trusted certificates.
Most browsers display an icon or text indicating whether the certificate is valid. If not, you’ll see an alert or red icon in your browser’s address bar.
If you use public Wi-Fi at a café or airport, connect with HTTPS if possible. This way, you’re protecting yourself from eavesdroppers and hackers who could potentially intercept and use your information for their purposes.
Benefits of an SSL certificate installed
An SSL certificate is a digital document that provides an extra layer of security for your website. It encrypts the data transmitted between your browser and the server so no one can intercept it. There are several benefits to using SSL certificates:
- They enhance site security
- They reduce the risk of users being defrauded
- They help to ensure that all data sent to and from your site is private and confidential
You can purchase an SSL certificate for any website, whether a personal homepage or an online store. It’s essential to choose an SSL provider that offers both free and paid options, as some offer only free certificates while others only provide paid ones. And while not all free options are as secure as paid ones, they’re still better than nothing.
Types of SSL certificates
There are different types of SSL certificates, each with benefits and drawbacks.
The most common types are the Extended Validation (EV) and Standard Validation (SV) certificates. Two kinds of certificates provide irrefutable proof that your website is legitimate and secure, but they do so in different ways.
A standard validation certificate shows you have passed rigorous tests to be trustworthy.
On the other hand, an extended validation certificate provides even more security because it verifies your business identity, domain name, and IP address.
How do you get an SSL certificate?
There are two main ways to get an SSL certificate: you can buy one directly from a trusted provider, or you can get one from your domain registrar. To choose the correct SSL certificate for your site, it’s important to understand what you’re looking for in an SSL certificate:
When you buy and activate an SSL certificate, you are essentially purchasing a guarantee that your website complies with the standard requirements of the SSL protocol. This means your visitors’ data is always protected using an SSL connection when interacting with your site. An SSL certificate also helps reassure visitors that the site you are visiting is legitimate.
What’s the real benefit?
How can these benefits help you? Using an SSL certificate can help protect your website in many situations.
For example, protecting your customers’ personal information is crucial if you sell products online. If someone steals their credit card information or other personal details in an attempt to buy from your website, it could lead to severe problems down the road.
When potential buyers see that your website uses an SSL certificate, they can be more confident about purchasing because they know their information is safe.
Who will provide you with an SSL certificate?
SSL certificates can be purchased online from various sources, including major web hosting companies like GoDaddy or HostGator and financial institutions like PayPal or Google. The hosting provider also offers a free SSL certificate.
An SSL certificate is a digital certificate that authorizes a website to operate as an SSL-secured server. It is typically issued by a trusted certification authority (CA), and it provides the basic security features required to enable HTTPS traffic on your website.
These certificates provide more robust security than traditional certificates and are, therefore, more expensive.
You can activate SSL certificates by first installing them, browsing the section for SSL certificates installed, and then managing their activation. Once they are activated and the .htaccess file is edited, the traffic will redirect HTTP to HTTPS.
However, other certificates are available, including Wildcard and Non-EV certificates.
Wildcard certificates can be used to secure multiple subdomains on your website. In contrast, non-EV certificates are not displayed on the official CA’s website but are still valid for use by their standards. These certificates are also viable for redirecting HTTP to HTTPS.
WordPress forces HTTPS Connection by Editing .htaccess File of Your WordPress Site
The .htaccess configuration file modifies how a website works on a web server.
WordPress websites are set to use HTTP connections by default. This means that any website with a WordPress installation can be accessed using HTTP, the most common type of connection used on the Internet today.
However, if you want all your visitors to use force HTTPS instead of HTTP, you can edit the .htaccess file of your website’s directory where WordPress files are located. The process is called forcing HTTPS, resulting in web pages redirecting HTTP to HTTPS. Additionally, for websites hosted on Nginx, you can manage HTTP to HTTPS redirections by modifying the Nginx configuration file to establish server blocks for HTTP and HTTPS traffic.
This file is in your WordPress root folder (typically at /sites/default/files/). You can edit the .htaccess file by opening it in a text editor or directly modifying it with a program like Notepad++.
Any changes you make to this file will take effect immediately, even if your site hasn’t been updated yet to reflect those changes.
If your site runs on HTTPS, it will automatically use a secure connection and provide your users an extra layer of protection.
Full Example That Includes Default WordPress Code
The following code snippet can be used to force HTTPS by editing the .htaccess file.
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} !=on
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301,NE]
Header always set Content-Security-Policy "upgrade-insecure-requests;"
# BEGIN WordPress
# The directives (lines) between `BEGIN WordPress` and `END WordPress` are
# dynamically generated, and should only be modified via WordPress filters.
# Any changes to the directives between these markers will be overwritten.
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteRule ^index\.php$ - [L]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule . /index.php [L]
</IfModule>
# END WordPressEditing the .htaccess File Through cPanel
You can force all the traffic on your website to use HTTPS. It involves the functions in which all old URLs are permanently redirected to a new one.
Steps
You can activate the feature to force HTTPS on all incoming traffic by following these steps:
- Go to File Manager in your hosting panel and open .htaccess inside the public_html folder. If you cannot find this file, ensure hidden files are set to visible.
- Please scroll down to find RewriteEngine On and insert the following code below it:RewriteEngine OnRewriteCond %{HTTPS} offRewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]
- Save the changes for HTTP redirection
Editing the .htaccess file through an FTP client in a WordPress website
If you use an FTP client such as FileZilla to upload content on your website.
Steps
Adopt the following procedure.
- First, make the file visible by clicking the settings icon in cPanel of WordPress.
- Now click the public_html folder in FileZilla. .htaccess file will now be visible.
- Now click view/edit to edit the file.
- Edit the file using the code given in the “Full Example That Includes Default WordPress Code”
Editing the .htaccess file through a WordPress plugins
Htaccess Editor is a WordPress plugin that provides an easy way to edit the htaccess file from within the WordPress admin. It helps redirect HTTP to HTTPS.
Once the Htaccess Editor plugin is installed and activated, a new Htaccess menu item will be added to the WordPress admin sidebar.
From the Htaccess Editor page, you can edit the htaccess file directly or use the plugin’s built-in editor to make changes and redirect HTTP to HTTPS.
The Htaccess Editor plugin also allows you to view the Htaccess file history, which shows what changes have been made over time.
Steps
If you are uncomfortable editing the Htaccess file directly from the WordPress dashboard, the Htaccess Editor plugin is a great way to manage your website’s Htaccess file from within WordPress.
- Login to your WordPress website
- Go to Plugins > Add New
- Search for “htaccess editor”
- Install and activate the plugin
- Go to Tools > Settings>htaccess Editor
- Edit the .htaccess file as desired.
- Save your changes. You will be logged out. Log in again to the WordPress dashboard to verify.
How to Fix Mixed Content on a WordPress Website
What is mixed content error?
If you’re trying to load a secure website in your browser and you see a “mixed content” error, it means that the website is trying to load both secure (HTTPS) and non-secure (HTTP) content on the page. This is a problem because your connection to the website is not fully secure.
What causes mixed content warnings?
The mixed content error is usually caused by images, scripts, or stylesheets loaded from a non-secure source into a secure WordPress website.
To fix the mixed content error, you’ll need to ensure that all the content on the page is loaded from a secure HTTPS source. You can usually do this by updating the links or addresses in your code to use HTTPS instead of HTTP in your WordPress website.
Once you’ve done that, the mixed content error should disappear, and your connection will be entirely secure.
Dynamic and static content
Mixed content errors occur when one page has static (HTML) and dynamic (JS/CSS) content. These errors can lead to unexpected behaviour on your site, such as slow loading times or breaking the site.
They can also affect SEO performance, as Google evaluates a page’s quality based on both types of content.
In addition to these issues, too much code executed on the same page can affect your site’s functionality.
Fixing mixed content in the WordPress database
Mixed content occurs when a WordPress site tries to load both secure (HTTPS) and non-secure (HTTP) content on the same page. This can happen if you embed content from another site not using HTTPS. The mixed content warning will appear in your browser to protect you from potential security risks.
Fixing errors using the WordPress plugin.
To fix this, you must access your WordPress database and find all the instances of HTTP:// in your site’s content. Once you have seen them, you must replace them with HTTPS://.
This can be done manually or with a plugin like Really Simple SSL.
Really simple SSL plugin automatically detects your settings and configures your website to run over HTTPS.
After you activate the Really Simple SSL plugin and have a valid SSL certificate, go to the settings page and enable SSL for site authentication. The Really Simple SSL plugin also has an additional setting to redirect all requests to HTTPS.
This is useful if you are using plugins that are hardcoded with HTTP.
Mixed content error caused by plugins and their solution
WordPress is a content management system that uses plugins to extend its functionality. However, these plugins can sometimes cause problems with your website, such as the mixed content error.
This error occurs when your website tries to load both secure (HTTPS) and non-secure (HTTP) content on the same page. Your browser will then display a “mixed content” warning, which can frustrate visitors.
Fixing the error message caused by a WordPress plugin
The good news is that you can take a few simple steps to fix this problem. First, check to see if your plugins are incompatible with HTTPS. If so, update them or contact the plugin developer for assistance.
Next, try deactivating and then reactivating each of your plugins one at a time to determine which one is causing the issue.
Finally, if all else fails, you can always seek help from a WordPress expert who can fix mixed content errors caused by a WordPress plugin.
With these tips, you should be able to fix the mixed content error on your WordPress site quickly and easily.
Complete the process by adding HTTPS website to the Google search console
It’s time to tell Google your website is more secure.
To add your HTTPS website to Google’s Search Console, verify its ownership first. You can do this by adding a DNS record, uploading an HTML file, or using your Google Analytics account.
Once you have verified your site in the Google search console, you can add it to the Console.
Select the “Add Property” button and enter your website’s URL.
After you have entered your URL, you will need to select the “Continue” button.
You can verify your site via DNS, HTML file upload, or Google Analytics.
Once you have selected your preferred verification method, you can complete the process and add your HTTPS website to the Google Search Console. Managing your site’s HTTP and HTTPS versions within your Google Search Console account is crucial to ensure search engines properly index and rank your site.
Safer browsing experience using HTTPS website
To protect your business users and assets, it would be best to use HTTPS. HTTPS provides a safer browsing experience, making it harder for intruders to access sensitive information on your website. It also increases the level of security for your users by ensuring that only they can access your site.
As a website owner, you must know about security threats and the importance of using HTTPS protocol.
You can take several measures to secure your site and protect your users’ data. For example, you can enable SSL encryption on your server to ensure that all data transmitted to and from your site is secure.
You can also require solid passwords for all user accounts and use a firewall to block unauthorized access to your server.
These simple steps can significantly reduce the risk of data breaches and other security threats.
