The internet consists of a network made up by different computers around the world. Each website has an address on this network, expressed in syntax, whether by HTTP or HTTPS. If you have a wordpress site, you may have noticed some of your contents are loaded over an HTTP connection causing a warning sign like in this example.
So why do you need HTTPS?
According to wikipedia, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is an application layer protocol for distributed, collaborative, hypermedia information systems. HTTP though, is considered unsafe as it is easy for anyone monitoring your network to steal your data.
HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) on the other side encrypts its request and communication using Transport Layer Security (TLS) or, formerly, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). The protocol is therefore also referred to as HTTP over TLS, or HTTP over SSL.
With that out of the way, now let’s get into how to secure your wordpress website using HTTPS.
Step 1. Backup your website: It’s advisable to back up your website before performing any changes on your wordpress website, and with the help of plugins like All-in-one-wp-migration backing up your website has never been as easy.
Step 2. Download the Really Simple SSL Plugin: Once you have made a backup of your site, the next step is to navigate to the plugin section, click add new and search for Really Simple SSL in the plugin directory.
At the time of writing this post, the plugin has over 5 million active installments, with 5 start ratings from 6000 plus users. The plugin should also be compatible with any version of wordpress your site is on.
Step 3. Activate the Plugin: After installing the plugin, activate it and then open your website in another to see if you have the green lock icon in the address bar.
Step 4. Check and confirm the plugin is working: To check if the plugin is working, simply use HTTP along with your site url and see if it forces HTTPS in the link. You should also keep an eye out for future updates, and plugin conflicts as any of these could affect the plugin from functioning properly.
In conclusion, having a wordpress website that is fully secure is the best way to go. Not only will your data be protected, your website visitors can only rest assured knowing any data they submit on your website is safe and protected.
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