{"id":1228,"date":"2021-04-08T13:48:46","date_gmt":"2021-04-08T10:48:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/?p=1228"},"modified":"2025-11-27T11:31:00","modified_gmt":"2025-11-27T09:31:00","slug":"how-to-activate-free-ssl-certificate-free-wordpress-ssl-setup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/how-to-activate-free-ssl-certificate-free-wordpress-ssl-setup\/","title":{"rendered":"Activate Free SSL Certificate for WordPress"},"content":{"rendered":"

An SSL certificate is helpful in <\/span>protecting your users <\/b>from cyber attacks. It also builds a <\/span>level of trust<\/b> with your website visitors.<\/span><\/p>\n

SSL is an abbreviation for <\/span>Secured Socket Layer<\/b>. It’s an encryption protocol that protects data in transit. Although the SSL abbreviation has stuck, modern SSL certificates actually use TLS (or Transport Layer Security), a newer and more secure version of SSL.<\/span><\/p>\n

While most SSL certificates are usually expensive to acquire, there are a few ways to get an SSL certificate at zero cost for your <\/span>WordPress site.\u00a0<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

This is exactly what we’re going to show you in this step-by-step guide. We’ll also cover how to install the free SSL certificate on WordPress.<\/span><\/p>\n

But first, let\u2019s talk about why your website needs one at all:<\/span><\/p>\n

Why Your WordPress Website Needs An SSL Certificate<\/b><\/h2>\n

An SSL certificate is not just for websites that collect and process payment and personal information. It’s one of the most reliable ways of assuring the user that they can trust your website.<\/span><\/p>\n

By encrypting the information flow between the client and the server, the SSL certificate minimizes the chances of a successful man-in-the-middle attack.<\/p>\n

Because it’s such an essential part of securing a website, modern browsers do not display prominent warnings whenever you try to access a page that is not protected by an SSL certificate. If you don’t have one, your search engine rankings<\/strong> are also likely to suffer.<\/p>\n

That’s why you need to know how to get an SSL certificate for WordPress.<\/p>\n

How an SSL Certificate Works<\/b><\/h2>\n

Now that we established that having an SSL certificate for your WordPress website is essential, let’s see how one works exactly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When a <\/span>user visits a website<\/b> with an SSL certificate installed, their browser first verifies<\/span> its validity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The browser and the server then negotiate the encryption algorithm and start the so-called TLS <\/strong>handshake<\/strong>. During it, they exchange information encrypted with a public key that can only be decrypted with the certificate’s private key. With the handshake complete, another encryption key is generated. This is the one that will encrypt the information exchange during the session.<\/span><\/p>\n

It’s a complex algorithm that involves both symmetric and asymmetric encryption <\/strong>and ensures the connection is secure.<\/p>\n

What is Let\u2019s Encrypt<\/b><\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s Encrypt is a certificate authority that will give a free SSL certificate for WordPress to all site owners.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you have a ScalaHosting account, a Let’s Encrypt certificate will be issued and installed automatically as soon as you point your domain to our servers.<\/p>\n

You can also manage your free and paid certificates from the SSL Certificates <\/strong>section inside SPanel’s User Interface.<\/p>\n

How To Activate Free SSL In WordPress<\/b><\/h2>\n

After enabling the WordPress SSL certificate, you should activate it on the website.<\/span><\/p>\n

This action will change your <\/span>URL <\/b>from <\/span>HTTP to HTTPS,<\/b> indicating that the website is now secure. The SSL certificate won\u2019t work until the URL is updated.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To activate the free SSL in WordPress, log in to your <\/span>WordPress administration dashboard:<\/b><\/p>\n

\"Activate<\/p>\n

Next, go to the Settings<\/strong> option:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Activate<\/p>\n

Click on General:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Activate<\/p>\n

Change your WordPress URL and Site URL to HTTPS<\/strong>:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Activate<\/p>\n

Click Save<\/strong>:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Activate<\/p>\n

This process works well if your website is new. However if you have a website already <\/span>indexed on Google<\/b>, some of its pages might still load as HTTP and others as HTTPS.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Thankfully, there is an <\/span>easy way out<\/b>. A few WordPress plugins like <\/span>\u2018Really Simple SSL\u2019<\/span><\/i> and \u2018<\/span>SSL Insecure Content Fixer\u2019 <\/span><\/i>help to <\/span>detect a website\u2019s SSL status<\/b> and run all pages on HTTPS.<\/span><\/p>\n

How To Update Your Website URL Using Plugins<\/b><\/h2>\n

Log in to your WordPress Administrator dashboard:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Activate<\/p>\n

Go to the <\/span>plugin <\/b>option:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Activate<\/p>\n

Click on <\/span>Add New Plugin:<\/b><\/p>\n

\"Activate<\/p>\n

Click on <\/span>Upload Plugin:<\/b><\/p>\n

\"Activate<\/p>\n

Upload the downloaded plugin file, Click on <\/span>Install Now:<\/b><\/p>\n

\"Activate<\/p>\n

After installing the plugin, <\/span>click on Activate.<\/b><\/p>\n

The activated plugin automatically detects HTTP pages and runs them on HTTPS.<\/span><\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/b><\/h2>\n

Your <\/span>ScalaHosting account<\/b> comes with a Let\u2019s Encrypt certificate <\/span>preinstalled for free<\/b>. So you don\u2019t have to worry about generating or installing a free SSL certificate in the beginning.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, you might need extra encryption if you\u2019re creating <\/span>subdomains<\/b>. You can <\/span>get an SSL certificate for those specific needs, here<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you ever need a hand with your SSL certificate installation, our support is always available to help you get it done on time.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

How To Point a Domain Name To a Web Hosting Provider<\/p>\n\n\n\n