Really Simple Ssl

How to enable ssl on your website using Really Simple SSL plugin

SSL is an essential feature now for any site including the sites made using Wordpress. If you do not have ssl installed on your website, Google will show a warning in the browser. SSL is a sign of trust and also important from the SEO perspective since search engines such as Google prefer websites with ssl.

SSL becomes even more important for websites that deal in sensitive information like the personal details of customers, payment details and so on. SSL or Secure Sockets Layer is a security protocol that encrypts data in transit making it secure. So, even if someone tries to steal the data, the encrypted data will not be possible to read.

When you install SSL and have placed the necessary redirects, you will see that rather than http, your website is running on https. You will also see a padlock appear in the address bar.

SSL is a sign of trust and shows that your customers’ data is safe with you. Without the https in the url, Google will show a not safe warning to visitors landing on your website. So, now you know how important it is to have SSL enabled on your website.

It is also very important to have ssl enabled from the SEO point of view since Google will penalize the sites without https enabled. Sites with ssl tend to rank higher in searches while those without ssl rank lower. SSL is now compulsory if you wish to maintain your rankings.

However, enabling ssl on your website can get a bit tricky. While some hosts have started provisioning free ssl with their hosting plans, in some cases, you will need to yourself manage (manually install) ssl on your website.

So, whether you are using a free ssl or have bought one from providers like Namecheap, you will need to enable it on your website that includes uploading the ssl certificate and enabling necessary redirects.

For non-technical users, this process may get quite complex. While enabling ssl at the server level is easy, you still need to have some basic knowledge of coding and the ability to run terminal commands. Otherwise, you will need to get help from a developer or your hosting provider.

If you are a Wordpress user, there is a one stop solution to all your SSL related problems that can sort out any issues related to installing an ssl certificate, fixing redirects as well as mixed content issues on your website.

This solution is called Really Simple SSL. It is a free plugin created to help Wordpress users fix all SSL related issues on their websites. The plugin also comes in a pro version which offers some additional security and wordpress hardening as well as vulnerability mitigation features. It is currently the best plugin for enabling SSL on your Wordpress website. The reason is that Really Simple SSL is the most user friendly SSL plugin in the Wordpress repository.

Even the non technical users can use this plugin easily and its features. If there are any technical steps involved those can be carried out conveniently with guidance provided by the plugin.

There are several things that can go wrong while you are installing ssl on your website manually. You may find it complex to complete the process without proper guidance or assistance. If something goes wrong with the redirects, the entire website will stop loading. So, unless you are confident that you can complete it on your own, you must get developer assistance or help from your hosting provider. Otherwise, you can safely rely on the Really Simple SSL plugin to help you install the certificate and create necessary redirects using either the .htaccess file or php.

How does Really Simple SSl work?

Really Simple SSL is the most effective SSL plugin that has been developed by a great team of developers and is updated regularly. The plugin has received 5 out of 5 star ratings and has more than 5 million active installations. It shows that Really Simple SSL is the most popular SSL solution plugin in Wordpress repository.

Despite being a lightweight plugin, it is effective and apart from leveraging your ssl certificate, it scans your website for possible vulnerabilities and implements essential wordpress hardening features.

When you first install the plugin, it scans to detect any existing certificate and if there is one, it installs the certificate or provides the instructions to do it. Otherwise, you can easily get a free ssl certificate from Letsencrypt with the help of this plugin.

However, the most important part is creating the redirection from http to https. You will need to redirect the existing http urls to https. Since, you are using the Really SImple SSL plugin, you would not need to create the redirects manually but the plugin can do the task automatically for you using an .htaccess code or php code.

The plugin also scans your website for mixed content and fixes any such issues. It is a feature packed plugin which is just as easy to use as it is lightweight.

Really Simple ssl does what it says. It makes applying ssl to your website as simple as that. Once you have installed the plugin from the wordpress repository, you can activate it and then click on ‘activate ssl’. With just a few clicks your task is done. If there is anything else to do like enabling redirects, you will find related instructions on your wp dashboard. If you find any settings difficult to understand, you can still continue with the default settings.

If you want improved security, you can go for the pro version of this plugin, which is available for $49 with support and updates for 1 year. The pro version includes the following features:

• HSTS Preload List - Enables HTTP Strict Transport Security and configures your site for the HSTS Preload list.

• Security Headers - Protects website visitors with X-XSS Protection, X-Content-Type-Options, X-Frame-Options, a Referrer Policy and CORS headers.

• Mixed content Fixer Pro - Detects any files requested over http and fixes them at both the front and the back end.

• HTTP Strict Transport Security - ​

• Advanced Hardening Features - includes features like automatic permissions check and fix, renaming and randomizing database prefix..

• Advanced Vulnerability Measures - Notifies you upon detection of a vulnerability in any plugin, theme or Wordpress core.

• Advanced Login Protection - includes features like enforce strong password and limit login attempts.

• Premium Support

A few last words:

It is not possible any more to manage a website without ssl. The https in the address bar is as critical as anything else required to run a website. SSL has important implications in terms of SEO as well. If you want to maintain your rankings you need to have ssl enabled on your website. For Wordpress users, the task of managing SSL security on their websites has been made very easy with the Really Simple SSL plugin. The plugin is free if you need ssl and basic protection and advanced safety features are available with the pro version which comes for only $49 with a single site license. The plugin is easy to use and takes the complexity out of implementing ssl on a Wordpress website. You can rely on this plugin which is a highly rated one and also updated regularly.