WordPress owners can become terrified when they first open a browser and notice a “Not Secure” warning at the top. But rest assured, this warning can be easily fixed and there is no reason to panic. This not only causes visitors to lose confidence, but it also damages your search engine ranking and the overall performance of your website. This warning is completely unnecessary if the website is configured properly and for this WordPressAssistance.com can assist you. Our website has over 15 years of experience in the WordPress industry and can help you fix this issue in no time. Let’s begin with the basics.
In this article, we will discuss:
1. Explanation of “Not Secure” warning on WordPress
2. How to easily obtain and install SSL certificate
3. How to configure WordPress settings to Enforce HTTPS
4. Troubleshooting common issues after SSL activation
Explanation of “Not Secure” warning on WordPress
First, let’s discuss the “Not Secure” warning. This warning may display at the top of your browser and is usually in Chrome. This means that your website is not using the secure HTTPS protocol and as a result, your connection with the visitor is not encrypted. Unencrypted HTTP traffic can easily be read by anyone, especially on public Wi-Fi connections or a shared network. The warning discourages users to continue browsing the site. In addition to disrupting user experience, this warning often displays on websites with login or registration forms, contact forms, and payment forms. This type of warning can be very common with websites that collect sensitive user information that requires privacy. Nowadays, web browsers display this warning to provide better security to websites without HTTPS support.
SEO experts say that Google prioritizes search engine rankings for websites that have HTTPS and as a result, your potential visitors will not see your website if you don’t use it. This is a key factor in increasing your website traffic. In addition, many popular WordPress plugins and integrations do not work properly without HTTPS or SSL (Secure Socket Layer). SSL certificates are the only way to have these plugins integrated into your website, especially when doing business with sensitive information like billing addresses, account credentials, and so on. It is essential to boost credibility and trust which is ultimately business growth. If your WordPress site shows “Not Secure” warning in browsers it is vital to find the reason and eliminate it right away.
The first thing is to find out why is my WordPress website not secure. Knowing this information can be the best way to eliminate the problem. While you might think this is only for WordPress website, it is not. In fact, this is a problem that every non-SSL site will run into sooner or later. The good news is that WordPress makes it very easy to convert an unsecured HTTP site to HTTPS. This doesn’t have to be an issue, even if you are a non-technical person. If you are worried about the safety of your visitors, it is worth it to take the time to fix it before it is too late.
How to easily obtain and install SSL certificate
The easiest way to fix this “Not Secure” problem is by installing an SSL certificate on your hosting server. In most cases, today’s top WordPress hosting companies include a free SSL certificate for new websites and many existing customers through Let’s Encrypt. Let’s Encrypt is a non-profit certificate authority that provides free, open-source, and automated SSL certificates. This is the best option for smaller and medium-sized websites that don’t collect large-scale transactions or other commercial information. Check your hosting control panel or contact the hosting support team to activate the Let’s Encrypt SSL.
If free SSL from your hosting is not an option, then it is easy to purchase an SSL certificate from providers such as Comodo, DigiCert, or GlobalSign. Certificates with warranty and validation from these providers cost more, but they also come with higher levels of trust and validation such as Organization Validation (OV) or Extended Validation (EV). These certificates also provide additional features such as warranty which is an assurance from the certificate provider to cover the value of the certificate in case of abuse or fraud. If you purchase the SSL certificate yourself, then ask your hosting company or a WordPress expert to install the certificate on your website. The certificate installation usually requires some technical skill, so make sure that you or your support company is confident in this step.
Once you have the SSL certificate, you need to install it by following the instructions provided by your hosting company or support company. This usually involves making changes to your web server configuration (Apache, Nginx, etc.) to use HTTPS. Most hosting platforms provide automatic installation options, but some older or custom servers may require manual installation of the certificate. You can verify the certificate is working by browsing your site using https: // and checking for the padlock symbol on the browser.
Configuring WordPress settings to Enforce HTTPS
The next step after SSL certificate installation is to configure the WordPress settings to force HTTPS. This means that all of your WordPress pages and resources are served over HTTPS instead of HTTP. Start by changing the WordPress Address (URL) and Site Address (URL) fields in the WordPress dashboard under Settings > General. Update the WordPress URL and the site URL to use HTTPS (e.g., https: //yourwebsite.com) instead of HTTP and save the changes.
The second step is to add a 301 redirect to the top-level .htaccess file (usually located in the root directory of your WordPress installation) to redirect all HTTP traffic to HTTPS. A third alternative is to install a WordPress plugin such as Really Simple SSL that automatically takes care of the configuration settings. Simply install the plugin and activate it, it will detect the SSL certificate on your server and configure the settings for you, without you having to manually change the configuration files or database. Plugins can also detect and fix mixed content (HTTP URLs loaded over HTTPS) which can also cause “Not Secure” warnings.
Remove all HTTP content and replace it with HTTPS for complete assurance. If done correctly, you have installed an SSL certificate on WordPress and ensured that your website serves all content over HTTPS. This should remove the “Not Secure” warning and provide a secure browsing experience for your website visitors.
Troubleshooting common issues after SSL activation
When you have successfully installed the SSL certificate and configured your WordPress site to use HTTPS, some common issues can occur, which can often cause the “Not Secure” warning to return. First, mixed content is one of the most common problems. This occurs when some resources on your site (such as images, scripts, stylesheets) are still loaded over HTTP instead of HTTPS. You can check for mixed content by using tools like Why No Padlock or by inspecting the page using the browser’s developer tools. If you find mixed content, you will need to replace the HTTP URLs with HTTPS URLs, either manually or with a plugin such as Better Search Replace.
The second issue can be related to the cache. If you use a caching plugin or service, there is a possibility that some cached files are still being served over HTTP. Make sure to clear all the cache after activating SSL and check the cache settings to make sure that your caching service or plugin supports SSL. If your CDN (content delivery network) is set up to use an SSL certificate, then your website will work perfectly. If your CDN doesn’t have SSL enabled, you may have to make the switch to one that does to ensure full site security.
Plugins and themes may have compatibility issues or other settings that need to be updated. Always test your site thoroughly after activating SSL, including forms, login pages, and any other third-party integrations you may have on your site. If issues persist, consider contacting a professional WordPress support team to assist in troubleshooting. This can be one of the best options if you don’t want to handle these issues on your own and want to make sure your website is fully secured.
In conclusion, removing the “Not Secure” warning from your WordPress website is very important for the security of your visitors and the performance of your site. By understanding why this warning displays and how to obtain and install an SSL certificate, configuring your WordPress site to use HTTPS and addressing any issues, you can ensure that your site is fully secured. In addition, to get the most out of your secured site, it’s always a good idea to partner with a reliable hosting company and WordPress professionals to help with SSL implementation and provide ongoing support. It’s a simple and affordable way to help grow your online business, so get started as soon as possible.
If you need to consult with one of our WordPress experts about your security issue, please contact us here .
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