Protecting Your Website With an SSL/TLS Certificate (2024)

FAQs

Protecting Your Website With an SSL/TLS Certificate? ›

In order to ensure that your website is secure, you must install an SSL certificate. The easiest way to setup an SSL certificate on your website is to simply contact your webhost provider. When you submit a request to purchase an SSL certificate, your webhost provider will install the SSL certificate for you.

To use HTTPS with your domain name, you need a SSL or TLS certificate installed on your website. Your web host (Web Hosting Provider) may offer HTTPS security or you can request a SSL/TLS certificate from Certificate Authorities and install it yourself. SSL/TLS certificates may need to be renewed periodically.

Let's go over why more in-depth below. SSL is a type of encryption protocol that secures data between browsers and servers so it can't be intercepted. This makes it impossible for hackers to read customer information. Ultimately, SSL certificates create a safer website experience for businesses and customers.

SSL, also known as TLS, uses encryption to keep user data secure, authenticate the identity of websites, and stop attackers from tampering with Internet communications.

On average, a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate costs around $60/year. However, the price can vary from $8 to $1000/year, depending on various factors, such as the number of domains one can protect, the validation process, the warranty, or the certificate authority itself.

Fast, easy, free TLS certificates for websites

Protect users and data without slowing down web apps by relying on Cloudflare for TLS. Save time on TLS certificate management and keep certificates up to date to avoid browser security warnings and search engine deprioritization.

Technically, anyone can create their own SSL certificate by generating a public-private key pairing and including all the information mentioned above. Such certificates are called self-signed certificates because the digital signature used, instead of being from a CA, would be the website's own private key.

Insecure (also called 'mixed') content usually appears when HTML code on a website loads over HTTPS, while other content (such as images, video content, stylesheets, and scripts) still loads over the insecure HTTP protocol. When this happens, some of the content of your site loads securely and some of it insecurely.

Google-managed SSL certificates are Domain Validation (DV) certificates that Google Cloud obtains and manages for your domains. They support multiple hostnames in each certificate, and Google renews the certificates automatically.

Can a website run without SSL certificate? ›

You might have gone to some lengths to bolster your site security but without SSL, it's unlikely to be enough. Website are free to operate online without an SSL certificate, but you must ask yourself whether you want to take the chance that yours is susceptible to hacking? Probably not.

However, SSL is an older technology that contains some security flaws. Transport Layer Security (TLS) is the upgraded version of SSL that fixes existing SSL vulnerabilities. TLS authenticates more efficiently and continues to support encrypted communication channels.

Data breaches: When an SSL certificate expires, the secure connection between the website and its users is broken, making it possible for hackers to intercept and steal sensitive data such as login credentials, credit card numbers, and personal information.

Check the TLS certificate

If it begins with “https” instead of “http,” it means the site is secured using an TLS/SSL certificate (the s in https stands for secure). TLS certificates secure all of your data as it is passed from your browser to the website's server.

Check the SSL certificate

A secure URL always begins with “HTTPS” at the start instead of “HTTP”. The extra “S” in “HTTPS” stands for “secure”, which means that the website is using a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Certificate.

Enter the URL you wish to check in the browser. Right-click the page or select the Page drop-down menu, and select Properties. In the new window, look for the Connection section. This will describe the version of TLS or SSL used.

How does a website obtain an SSL certificate? For an SSL certificate to be valid, domains need to obtain it from a certificate authority (CA). A CA is an outside organization, a trusted third party, that generates and gives out SSL certificates.

Cloudflare: Cloudflare offers free standard SSL certificates, alongside additional security and performance features. Their certificates can be installed with just one click and auto-renew, so you don't have to manually update things. They also take care of redirecting your site from HTTP to HTTPS to avoid any issues.