Get Free SSL and Install on wordpress website
In this article we will see how to get one free SSL certificate and install the same on your wordpress website step by step without losing traffic and earning from google adsense. There are several ways to get free SSL, which we have listed at the end of this post but for this article we will show in details how can you get free SSL from CloudFlare.
Cloudflare is not just for SSL but it has a lot many other advantages, it will make your website much faster and reduce load on your server by serving your contents oven CDN. Cloudflare is free and easy to setup. Once you register (or already have cloudflare account) please follow the next step to get free SSL.
Steps to get free SSL from Cloudflare
To get free SSL from cloudflare login to your cloudflare account and select your domain from the list (in case you have multiple domains)
Now click on Crypto and scroll below, you will see SSL option, change that to Flexible as shown in the image below.
After changing that scroll below further and click on Create certificate. A window will pop-up just review the details once to make sure Let Cloudflare generate a private key and a CSR is selected as shown in the image below.
Click on Next. You will see some random codes are generated. The first section under heading PEM Default is your SSL public key and and code under heading Private Key is your private key. Please copy both these codes separately in a notepad and save on your desktop for later use.
Keep the Web Server for Installation setting unchanged to Apache httpd. This will be true for most of the wordpress installed on Apache. However, if you need more details you can click on the link Read instruction for this server typ” available on the same screen.
Once you have copied the details on your desktop, click on “OK” to close the pop-up.
We have got our free SSL, yuppy!! but our job is not over yet, We need to install this SSL certificate on our web server. But don’t worry its simple and explained next
How to install SSL certificate on server using cpanel
We have got a free SSL from cloudflare now its time to install the same on our website using cpanel. Login to you cpanel and click on SSL/TLS, which is available under Security, as shown below in the image.
Now click on the link Generate, view, upload, or delete your private keys. available under Private Keys (KEY). Scroll below and you will see space to paste your private key, which you got from cloudflare. Just make sure you are not pasting the public key (PEM) here.
In the description box write your website name, after that click on save. You will see confirmation message, click on Return to SSL manager to go back SSL/TLS window again.
Now this time click on the link Generate, view, upload, or delete SSL certificates. available under Certificates (CRT). You can paste your Private key (PEM) under the section Upload a New Certificate and give website name in the description section. Once done click on Save Certificate. Click on Return to SSL manager again to go back SSL/TLS window.
Now click on the link Manage SSL sites. available under Install and Manage SSL for your site (HTTPS)
Scroll below and select your website from the list and click on Autofill by Domain. Make sure the below three sections got filled automatically.
- Certificate: (CRT)
- Private Key (KEY)
- Certificate Authority Bundle: (CABUNDLE)
Note : In case the Certificate Authority Bundle: (CABUNDLE) is blank you can copy and paste the below code
-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE----- MIID/DCCAuagAwIBAgIID+rOSdTGfGcwCwYJKoZIhvcNAQELMIGLMQswCQYDVQQG EwJVUzEZMBcGA1UEChMQQ2xvdWRGbGFyZSwgSW5jLjE0MDIGA1UECxMrQ2xvdWRG bGFyZSBPcmlnaW4gU1NMIENlcnRpZmljYXRlIEF1dGhvcml0eTEWMBQGA1UEBxMN U2FuIEZyYW5jaXNjbzETMBEGA1UECBMKQ2FsaWZvcm5pYTAeFw0xNDExMTMyMDM4 NTBaFw0xOTExMTQwMTQzNTBaMIGLMQswCQYDVQQGEwJVUzEZMBcGA1UEChMQQ2xv dWRGbGFyZSwgSW5jLjE0MDIGA1UECxMrQ2xvdWRGbGFyZSBPcmlnaW4gU1NMIENl cnRpZmljYXRlIEF1dGhvcml0eTEWMBQGA1UEBxMNU2FuIEZyYW5jaXNjbzETMBEG A1UECBMKQ2FsaWZvcm5pYTCCASIwDQYJKoZIhvcNAQEBBQADggEPADCCAQoCggEB AMBIlWf1KEKR5hbB75OYrAcUXobpD/AxvSYRXr91mbRu+lqE7YbyyRUShQh15lem ef+umeEtPZoLFLhcLyczJxOhI+siLGDQm/a/UDkWvAXYa5DZ+pHU5ct5nZ8pGzqJ p8G1Hy5RMVYDXZT9F6EaHjMG0OOffH6Ih25TtgfyyrjXycwDH0u6GXt+G/rywcqz /9W4Aki3XNQMUHNQAtBLEEIYHMkyTYJxuL2tXO6ID5cCsoWw8meHufTeZW2DyUpl yP3AHt4149RQSyWZMJ6AyntL9d8Xhfpxd9rJkh9Kge2iV9rQTFuE1rRT5s7OSJcK xUsklgHcGHYMcNfNMilNHb8CAwEAAaNmMGQwDgYDVR0PAQH/BAQDAgAGMBIGA1Ud EwEB/wQIMAYBAf8CAQIwHQYDVR0OBBYEFCToU1ddfDRAh6nrlNu64RZ4/CmkMB8G A1UdIwQYMBaAFCToU1ddfDRAh6nrlNu64RZ4/CmkMAsGCSqGSIb3DQEBCwOCAQEA cQDBVAoRrhhsGegsSFsv1w8v27zzHKaJNv6ffLGIRvXK8VKKK0gKXh2zQtN9SnaD gYNe7Pr4C3I8ooYKRJJWLsmEHdGdnYYmj0OJfGrfQf6MLIc/11bQhLepZTxdhFYh QGgDl6gRmb8aDwk7Q92BPvek5nMzaWlP82ixavvYI+okoSY8pwdcVKobx6rWzMWz ZEC9M6H3F0dDYE23XcCFIdgNSAmmGyXPBstOe0aAJXwJTxOEPn36VWr0PKIQJy5Y 4o1wpMpqCOIwWc8J9REV/REzN6Z1LXImdUgXIXOwrz56gKUJzPejtBQyIGj0mveX Fu6q54beR89jDc+oABmOgg== -----END CERTIFICATE-----
Now click on the Install Certificate You will receive confirmation that SSL has been installed successfully.
We are not yet done. Our website is till running on http:// we need to change that too. To do that let’s login to your wordpress website and follow further steps.
How to change your wordpress website from http to https
Note : As a precautionary measure please take a full backup (including database) of your website before you start changing wordpress settings mentioned here.
We have got free SSL and installed the same on our server. What is left now is to make sure everything on our website like images, scripts etc. are running on https otherwise we will get mixed content error from google.
Once again the step is very easy, all you need to do is install and activate the wordpress plugin “Really Simple SSL”
Once the plugin is installed and activated just click on Go ahead, activate SSL!, as shown in the image below.
Note : Soon after you click on that button, you may need to login again so dont panic!!.
Optionally, you might also install and run “Better Search Replace” to update all URLs stored in you database from http to https. Once you install and activate the plugin you can access it from tool » Better Search Replace
Now you might have seen that your website has already started running over https (not always) but we still need to follow few more important steps. Its time to go back to cloudflare.
Change cloudflare setting to run your website on HTTPS
Log in back to your cloudflare account, select your website and click on Crypto. Scroll below to section Always use HTTPS and enable it.
Also search for Cloudflare Automatic HTTPS Rewrites and enable it.
You, yes you, have now successfully migrated your wordpress website from HTTP to HTTPS. If you dont believe me, please read further to check and verify yourselves.
How to check your website is fully SSL certified?
Visit sslshopper.com and enter your website to check if the SSL installation was successful or not. You should see green message like below. Don’t worry about the certificate expiry end date, cloudflare will take care of that for the next 15 years!!
Now you have verified that you are running on HTTPS but do you want to lose your traffic? Don’t you want the world to know you also have now secured website. Please read further to see how can you retain you traffic or in-fact attract more visitors.
How to change your website URL from HTTP to HTTPS in google webmaster?
This is an important step to keep getting your normal traffic. Most of the website owners report that they lose traffic after switching over to HTTPS, however, if you do this step immediately and properly, you will infact attract more visitors. So let’s begin…
Login to google webmaster and click on Add a Property. You will be immediately asked to verify the ownership.
Once you verify the ownership, click on Sitemap available under Crawl. You can upload your sitemap here. If you are using yoast plugin, you can get your sitemap from SEO/yoast » XML Sitemaps.
Note : If you are using Yoast plugin, disable it once and enable back to generate the sitemap with https url.
We have updated the URL in google webmaster but we also need to change it in google analytics to keep the correct track of visitors.
How to update website URL from HTTP to HTTPS in Google Analytic
To update your website details in google analytic, login to you google analytic account and click on the Admin icon (gear icon), You will see something like below. You will need to change the https variation of you website under Property and View as highlighted in the image below.
Click on them one by one and change the website by selecting https:// from the list.
We have done everything and put a lot of efforts to move our website from HTTP to HTTPS but after all these efforts we dont want to lose our revenue from Google Adsene right? so, just dont miss to read further…
Make sure your google adsense is still working after switching to https
Make sure all your adsense codes are compatible with HTTPS protocol. Ideally there shouldn’t be any problem. As per the google’s official statement there shouldn’t be any problem when you migrate your website to HTTPS. all you need to do is
Update older versions of AdSense ad code to avoid the AdSense script being blocked as mixed content. If your AdSense ad code has a script starting with “http://”, then you should update it to “https://” instead Google
For more info check this link
How to get free SSL certificate for your website?
I know I promised to share other sources from where you can get free SSL but this post has gone lengthy and I am sure you are tire too like me. So I will write a separate article soon for that and share like here, so keep checking this space 🙂 Bye
If you have any question, feel free to post them here
