What is an SSL Certificate? A Comprehensive Guide

Website security has always been important, but today it’s an absolute necessity. As online threats become more sophisticated, websites that fail to implement strong security measures can face serious consequences, including penalties that impact visibility and trust. This is especially critical if you’re planning to accept online payments, where security is non-negotiable.

The good news? There’s a proven way to safeguard your site and reassure your site visitors. It starts with understanding Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), a protocol that establishes a secure, encrypted connection between a browser and a web server. When a site has an SSL certificate, it signals that a trusted Certificate Authority has verified the site’s identity, ensuring the connection is safe. In fact, many managed hosting providers—like WP Engine—include SSL certificates to simplify this process for you.

In this article, we’ll demystify SSL and website security certificates. You’ll learn what makes them so important, the different types available, and how these certificates are validated. Plus, we’ll walk you through the steps to set up SSL on your own site, giving you peace of mind and a secure digital presence. Ready to lock down your website? Let’s dive in!

How do SSL certificates work?

At a high level, SSL certificates facilitate encrypted communication between a user’s browser and your website’s server. 

When a browser connects to a site secured by SSL, a process called the SSL handshake takes place. During this handshake, the browser and server exchange cryptographic keys and establish a secure session. The certificate itself contains the public key needed for encryption and is used to verify the authenticity of your website.

To see SSL certificates work in action, look no further than Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS), the secure version of the HTTP protocol that powers the modern web. HTTPS encrypts data transferred between the browser and the server, ensuring that even if intercepted, the information remains unreadable to malicious actors. 

If you’re considering enabling HTTPS for your site, the first step is obtaining an SSL certificate from a Certificate Authority (CA). A CA is an organization that verifies your website’s identity and issues the SSL certificate. Depending on the type of certificate you select, the CA might simply confirm that you own the domain, or, for higher levels of security, verify that your business is officially registered. We’ll explore these options in more detail later.

Once you’ve acquired an SSL certificate, you’ll need to install it through your web hosting provider and enable HTTPS. Most websites opt to secure the entire site, which is usually the most straightforward and secure approach, though you can also choose to encrypt only specific pages that handle sensitive information.

It’s important to note that enabling HTTPS without a valid SSL certificate will trigger security warnings for visitors, which vary by browser. These warnings signal that the site is insecure and can undermine trust. This can also occur if your SSL certificate expires, so regular renewals—typically every one to three years—are necessary to maintain security.

While this might sound complex if you’re new to online security, it’s simpler than you might think. We’ll cover how to implement SSL on WordPress shortly. But first, let’s clarify exactly what SSL and HTTPS mean.

What do HTTPS and SSL mean?

As noted above, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is the foundation of the modern Internet, establishing rules for transferring data and multimedia content. 

Every website, including this one, uses HTTP. However, HTTPS—an encrypted, more secure version of HTTP—has become the gold standard.

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer), on the other hand, is a security protocol layered over HTTP to create HTTPS. While HTTP transmits data in an unencrypted format, SSL encrypts the data exchanged between a browser and a server, making it unreadable to malicious actors. 

In short, SSL and HTTPS work together to keep your websites’ data secure.

HTTPS vs. HTTP

Data sent over standard HTTP connections is unencrypted, leaving it vulnerable to interception by hackers. This poses significant risks for websites handling sensitive personal information, like credit card numbers or home addresses.

On the other hand, HTTPS encrypts data so that even if a third party intercepts it, they cannot decipher the information. If a web address starts with “HTTPS,” it signals that all data exchanged with that site is secure. HTTPS is a must for any website, especially those dealing with financial transactions or personal details.

To set up HTTPS, you’ll need to purchase and install an SSL certificate linked to your domain. In the next section, we’ll cover the benefits of using SSL and why you should consider enabling it on your site.

Why your website needs an SSL certificate

The main goal of using SSL is to protect your visitors’ data from hackers and malicious actors. Here’s why it’s crucial, particularly for WordPress users:

1. Enhanced Security: SSL certificates encrypt data transmitted between your website and visitors, keeping information like login credentials, personal details, and payment data secure.
2. Increased Customer Trust: A secure site displays a padlock icon in the browser’s address bar, signaling to visitors that their data is protected. This can increase trust and improve conversion rates, especially for eCommerce and membership sites.
3. PCI Compliance: SSL isn’t optional for websites accepting online payments. It’s a requirement to meet Payment Card Industry (PCI) standards, ensuring that credit card information is handled securely.
4. Improved SEO: Search engines like Google prioritize secure websites in their rankings. HTTPS is now a significant factor in SEO, and Google labels HTTP sites as “Not Secure,” potentially affecting traffic. By enabling HTTPS, you improve your search engine visibility and user experience.
5. Easy Setup: Many web hosts, including WP Engine, offer streamlined SSL setups. WP Engine, for example, provides free SSL certificates and handles the technical aspects of implementation, making it easy for you to secure your WordPress site.

Types of SSL certificates

SSL certificates vary based on validation level and the number of domains they secure:

1. Single-Domain: Secures one domain or subdomain.
2. Wildcard: Protects a primary domain and all its subdomains.
3. Multi-Domain (SAN or Unified Certificates): Secures multiple domains under one certificate, ideal for organizations with several websites.

Validation Levels:

• Domain Validation (DV): A basic form of validation, completed quickly via email verification. It only confirms ownership of the domain.
• Organization Validation (OV): A moderate level of verification that confirms the legitimacy of the organization behind the website. It takes a few days to complete.
• Extended Validation (EV): The highest level of verification, requiring a thorough review of the business. EV certificates provide the most security and are often used by eCommerce and financial institutions.

Choosing the right SSL certificate depends on your security needs and the number of domains you want to cover.

Important things to know before switching to HTTPS

Switching to HTTPS is relatively simple, but there are a few important considerations:

1. Set up redirects: Redirect all HTTP traffic to HTTPS to maintain SEO rankings and ensure users reach the secure version of your site. Tools like SEO Spider can help create a list of URLs to update.
2. Request indexing: After enabling HTTPS, ask Google to re-index your site to minimize traffic disruptions.
3. Update internal links: Sometimes internal links may need manual updates to ensure they use HTTPS.
4. Update external links: Remember to update the links in your social media profiles and affiliate networks to point to the secure version of your site.

Being proactive about these steps will help ensure a smooth transition to HTTPS.

How to install an SSL certificate on a WordPress site

Now, let’s talk about implementation. The first step is to purchase an SSL certificate from your hosting provider or a trusted CA. Many hosts offer SSL certificates, and some, like WP Engine, simplify the process further.

For WP Engine users: WP Engine provides two SSL options—one free and one premium—and handles all the technical configurations. You only need to log in to the WP Engine User Portal, select your WordPress installation, and add the SSL certificate. Once activated, HTTPS will be enabled across your entire site.

For non-WP Engine users: If you’re using another hosting provider, you may need to manually install the SSL certificate and update your WordPress settings. This involves changing your site’s URLs to use HTTPS in Settings > General and using a plugin like Really Simple SSL to manage redirects and fix mixed content issues.

Don’t forget to update your settings in Google Analytics and Search Console to maintain your search rankings.

Secure your site with WP Engine

SSL certificates can be costly, but WP Engine offers both free Let’s Encrypt certificates and premium options as part of its secure hosting for WordPress. 

With dedicated support and easy SSL configurations, WP Engine makes securing your site effortless. Ready to prioritize your website’s security? Explore our hosting plans and keep your visitors safe today!