News article posted on: 21-08-2019
How To Convert Your WordPress Site To HTTPS In 5 Easy Steps
Converting your WordPress site from HTTP to HTTPS is more than just adding another letter to the URL. To find out how to secure a website with SSL, keep reading. The impact of not upgrading to HTTPS can influence customer confidence, website ranking, and more!
THE “S” MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE
An upgrade to HTTPS is a small but powerful move for your WordPress site. Adding an “S” signifies that you are serious about website ranking, data protection, and most importantly, the interests of your customers. By purchasing an SSL certificate, you can safeguard sensitive data being transferred to and from your website. Add in the fact that Google, Yahoo, Bing and other search engines favour HTTPS sites over their unsecured HTTP counterparts—and the decision becomes a no-brainer.
If you are currently running a WordPress site and not sure how to manage the transition to an HTTPS site, look no further. Below you will find five essential steps you need to take when converting from HTTP to HTTPS.
CONVERTING FROM HTTP TO HTTPS IN 5 EASY STEPS
1. Add an SSL certificate from a provider you can trust
The first step is to purchase an SSL certificate. But, like anything to do with websites, there are several options, so it helps to know how you want your website to progress before committing. At their basic level, SSL certificates will cover a single domain and sub-domain.
However, depending on your plans for future expansion, it is also worth considering an SSL certificate that will cover multiple subdomains. Either way, ensure you purchase an SSL certificate from a verified provider—if you don’t, you risk being given an invalid certificate!
2. Back up and implement your SSL certificate
Before implementing any change to your website, the first thing you should do is back everything up! No matter how small the modification, there is always a chance something can go wrong. Once your WordPress site has been preserved, it is time to add your SSL certificate to your HTTP site.
The exact process for this will vary depending on the hosting provider. Some enable activation directly through their dashboard, while others support third-party services to enable HTTPS. Fortunately, Versio falls into the former camp, offering simple installation that takes minutes—there is even a step-by-step guide provided in our FAQ section.
3. Add HTTPS to your WordPress dashboard, and update your site address
Before setting up a secure connection for visitors, you need to get the backend working correctly. To do that, we are going to add a command that forces the use of our SSL for admin log-ins. You’ll need to add a line of code to the wp.config.php file located in the WordPress root directory, but doing so should ensure anyone who logs in as an admin has a secure connection.
Once you’ve located the directory, add:
define('FORCE_SSL_ADMIN', true);
There is also the site address to consider. Accessed from the general tab under WordPress “settings”, amend the webpage URL to include “HTTPS”.
4. Automatically send visitors to HTTPS with 301 redirects
With the backend covered, it’s time to make sure visitors are automatically redirected to the HTTPS version of your WordPress site. Again, we need to dive into the WordPress root directory. This time, however, the file you are looking for is .htaccess. Once you have located the correct folder, add the following code:
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]
</IfModule>
If however, you want to avoid editing lines of code, you can use an incredibly simple plugin called Really Simple SSL. In just a few clicks, it will enable your SSL and automatically redirect requests to the HTTPS version of your WordPress site.
5. Double-check everything before heading to SSL test
The logistics of transferring to an HTTPS site have been covered, but it is essential we test everything (just in case there are any mistakes in the code). To do this, there are numerous sites that give you feedback on how well the SSL has been implemented. Following this final step will ensure that you haven’t missed out on the benefits offered by an HTTPS website.
Safe and secure, SSL’s are a must if you are handling sensitive data on a daily basis. Even if you aren’t, it should be a key consideration given the beneficial impact it can have on Google’s ranking algorithm.
