As Google forces you to get HTTPS, you must wonder how to get a free SSL certificate for your WordPress site. If so, this blog will assist you in obtaining the best one!
Website security is a top concern for site owners and visitors alike. If your website is not secure, people won’t feel safe browsing, purchasing, adding permalink or entering information on your web pages. As necessary, search engines penalize websites that aren’t secure.
Benefits Of Securing an SSL Certificate
Getting HTTPS or using SSL on your domain has a lot of advantages. It doesn’t matter whether or not you are processing any payments through your WordPress site.
The following are some of the primary advantages of incorporating an SSL certificate into your website domain:
1. Increases the credibility of your website or blog
HTTPS adds a layer of credibility and trust. Modern users know that the website is safe and secure because it has a green padlock.
2.Safeguards Sensitive Data
Accessing HTTPS websites ensures that users’ data is completely safe.
3. Future Proofing as SSL Has Become a Trend
It’s become a trend, and it’s true that if you don’t follow a good trend, you may eventually fall behind.
4. SEO Advantage
Google’s official word is that HTTPS is considered a ranking signal. It means adding SSL to your WordPress site will ensure a boost in rankings.
Adding Free SSL to Your WordPress Site
Inserting SSL on a WordPress site used to be a headache. However, with WordPress alongside new players in the industry, the entire process of making a website from HTTP to HTTPS has become simplified. You don’t need any technical skills to set up HTTPS for your website. Also, you don’t have to pay a large sum all at once to get the SSL certificate.
There are various ways you can use and get SSL for your WordPress site for free. Obtaining a free SSL certificate for a WordPress site is easy now! You might need either a free SSL provider or a hosting company that offers the SSL certificate for free.
The Leading 5 Free SSL Providers
1-Bluehost
Bluehost is among the renowned web hosting companies. Over two million websites globally rely on this SSL service provider. Also, the company’s reputation speaks for itself, as every Bluehost web hosting plan comes with a free SSL certificate.
Technically speaking, you would still be paying for something. However, you won’t need to pay for the SSL certificate. In any case, you require hosting to get your website up and running. Thus, using a hosting provider that can provide freebies like this makes sense. Bluehost offers a free domain for the first subscription year, apart from giving a free SSL certificate.
Bluehost is an apt choice for existing and new WordPress sites that need to switch web hosts. There is no need to worry about the SLS renewal or anything like that. Bluehost takes care of everything for you.
2- CloudPages
If you have to host your WordPress websites on cloud servers, then you have the most effective option in the shape of CloudPages.
The unique aspect that draws you towards CloudPages is its “One-click SSL” feature. You can get ZeroSSL certificates for free with a single click. Also, you can deploy your custom SSL.
CloudPages is a simple platform for developers to complete their day-to-day tasks. Using their control panel, you can easily deploy WordPress sites on Hetzner, DigitalOcean, AWS, and Vultr. The best part is that you don’t have to know anything about Linux or servers to use CloudPages.
Some prominent features:
- WordPress Manager
- Bubblewrap
- Multiple PHPs
- Free Migration
- Git Manager
- Super Fast
3- Wix
To start a new website from scratch, Wix is among the best website builders on the market. The site-creating platform makes it simple for everyone to build a custom WordPress site without any design or coding knowledge. Choose a template and use a drag-and-drop site builder to personalize your site from an intuitive web-based interface.
Wix offers a free SSL certificate with every plan. Thus, you can stay satisfied that your website is secured without going through extra steps. Moreover, Wix offers other built-in security protocols to its plans, including:
- Level 1 PCI compliance
- GDPR, CCPA, and LGPD compliance
- SOC 2 Type 2
- ISO 27001, 27701, 27017 & 27018 certificates
- 24/7 site security monitoring
- TLS 1.3
- DDoS protection
- 2-step verification
For a one-stop-shop solution to build your site and obtain a free SSL certificate, go straight to Wix.
4- GoDaddy
GoDaddy is one of the familiar names in the digital market. This web hosting company offers extensive web services, including web design services, domain registration, SSL security, and much more. Over 20 million global customers rely on GoDaddy for different needs. GoDaddy should be on your radar if you are searching for a one-stop-shop solution for domain registration, web hosting, and website security.
When talking about obtaining an SSL certificate from GoDaddy, you need to consider a couple of aspects. Technically, an SSL certificate can’t be for free. You need to pay if your goal is just to get an SSL certificate. However, GoDaddy allows you to get that for free by purchasing another service. For instance, choose web hostin plans with GoDaddy with free SSL. Depending on your chosen package, you could obtain a free SSL for 12 months or even a free SSL for your plan’s lifetime.
Every GoDaddy SSL certificate offers:
- Site secure trust marks
- SHA-2 and 2048-bit encryption
- Unlimited servers and reissues
- Free SSL checker and free malware checker.
GoDaddy SSLs are compatible with every major mobile device and web browser. Also, you will benefit from award-winning client support from the GoDaddy team around the clock.
Whether you have to protect one or multiple sites, you are covered. Although you need to pay for an SSL certificate as a single product, GoDaddy provides a 30-day money-back guarantee. Thus, it’s risk-free.
5- Let’s Encrypt
Let’s Encrypt is an automated, open-source, and public certificate authority offered by the Internet Security Research Group (ISRG). Currently, Let’s Encrypt is among the most popular SSL certificate providers. The best metric to gauge this service provider’s popularity is that today, leading wordpress hosting providers offer free SSL for the domain hosted via Let’s Encrypt.
One standout feature of Let’s Encrypt compared to others is its status as a nonprofit organization. The SSL service provider is run for the public’s advantage, and it has the support of sponsors like Mozilla, Cisco, AWS, Google Chrome, Fastly, Shopify, Facebook, and other industry leaders.
Transparency is another standout feature of Let’s Encrypt. Every SSL certificate issued or disabled by Let’s Encrypt goes into the public log. Also, it’s available online for anyone to view. This celebrated SSL service provider uses best practices in advanced security and ensures that WordPress site operators can properly secure their servers.
Let’s Encrypt should be among your shortlisted service providers if you are looking for a free SSL certificate.
6- SSL For Free
As the name suggests, SSL For Free is another SSL source at zero cost. Getting started is SSL For Free issues certificates within a minute. The platform supports single and multiple domains, wildcard SSLs, and more.
Unlike other SSL providers, SSL For Free truly stands by its words and offers free SSLs. You can easily create an SSL with any modern web browser. SSL For Free gives out the certificate through the Web Cryptography API and makes a private key that is used to make the certificate.
Last Word
This blog post has walked you through the best providers offering free SSL certificates and shed light on the dark corners of website security. So, don’t leave your WordPress site in the unprotected digital world. Use SSL, pick experienced wordpress developers to build strong custom website and choose one of the above-mentioned hosting providers, and offer your site the protected shield of a fresh SSL certificate today!
