Fixing ‘Not Secure’ Warning: Securing Your WordPress Site with an SSL Certificate
If your WordPress site is showing as “not secure” in the browser, it means that the site does not have an SSL certificate installed or the SSL certificate is not configured correctly. SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificates encrypt the communication between a web server and a user’s browser, ensuring that sensitive information transmitted on the site remains secure.
To fix the “not secure” warning, follow these steps:
- Obtain an SSL certificate: You can acquire an SSL certificate from a trusted certificate authority (CA) or your web hosting provider. Some hosting providers offer free SSL certificates through Let’s Encrypt.
- Install the SSL certificate: The process of installing an SSL certificate may vary depending on your hosting provider. If you have a control panel like cPanel, you can usually find an option to install SSL certificates. Alternatively, you can ask your hosting provider for assistance or follow their documentation.
- Configure WordPress settings: Once the SSL certificate is installed, you need to configure WordPress to use HTTPS instead of HTTP. Go to the WordPress admin dashboard, navigate to “Settings” → “General,” and update the “WordPress Address (URL)” and “Site Address (URL)” fields to start with “https://” instead of “http://”.
- Update internal links: If your WordPress site contains any internal links that use the “http://” protocol, you should update them to use “https://”. This includes links in your posts, pages, menus, and widgets. You can use plugins like “Better Search Replace” to replace all instances of “http://” with “https://”.
- Update external resources: If your site references external resources such as images, scripts, or stylesheets, make sure those resources are also using HTTPS. Update the URLs to use “https://” if needed.
- Test your site: After completing the above steps, clear your browser cache and test your website to ensure it is now displaying as secure. You should see a padlock icon in the browser’s address bar, indicating that the connection is secure.
By following these steps, you should be able to resolve the “not secure” issue and make your WordPress site secure in the browser.