https web security – what it is and how to add it to WordPress

 I want to introduce you to https web security because it is about to become an important part of your website in the not too distant future.

What is http and https?

Whenever you visit a website it will always begin with http:// – whether you type in the www or not, what shows up at the beginning of a domain name is the hypertext transfer protocol (http).

The http is used to help deliver a web page to a visitor on your website.

It links your web server (the server hosting your website) to the web browser (e.g. Chrome or Internet Explorer) that the visitor is using.

Here is something you may not know. Sites that only use http:// make it difficult for the privacy controls on  a computer to work. So while you, and your visitors, may think your privacy controls are protecting you from getting access to your computer and/or personal details, chances are they are being restricted and you are exposed.

That means while you are happily reading the content of a website and putting in your personal details, lurking somewhere on the net is a hacker ready and willing to read all your personal information.

They can easily read the data that is passed between the web server and the web browser because it is delivered in plain text. Apparently you don’t have to be a sophisticated hacker to do that either – anyone and his mother can read a web browser when they know how.

It is much easier for them to hack a web browser than it is a web server and they will add things to your computer called malware that will, at the least, do nasty things like add advertising to everything you look at and at its worst steal your personal information.

You are particularly vulnerable if you are surfing the web at public venues where wi-fi is made available like airports and cafes.

Introducing https web security

Something that is becoming more popular is a secured socket layer (SSL) – it secures a web page so no one can read it. Not even the government who watches over most of us.

The data that passes between the web server and the web browser is encrypted making the browsing experience safer and more confidential for your visitors.

When a visitors comes to your secure site your domain name will start with https:// – this lets them know that should they add any personal details to your site they are completely safe and secure from prying eyes.

If you run a shop from your WordPress website your visitors should always see https:// as they put in their payment details. Chances are whoever you use to collect your payments is providing that security for you but it is always best to check that your visitors are secure when they buy from you.

Sites like Facebook and Twitter use https and now the king of the search engines Google have said they will use whether a site is secure or not as a ranking signal.

There are so many different ranking factors these days it is a wonder any of us can keep up and it seems like https web security is yet another to add to the list. This one is important because it focuses on how safe your website is for people using it, which is why they are asking webmasters to include a fully secured site as soon as possible.

https web security – how to

If you are thinking about adding https web security to your WordPress website you start by buying an SSL certificate.

The easiest way to buy an SSL certificate for your website is from your hosting company. Hopefully, they will add it to your domain (it is one certificate per domain) free of charge once you buy it.

You can shop around; type ‘SSL certificate’ into a search engine and a host of different companies show up all offering their service. Do your due diligence and shop around.

Make sure support is available and at the very least make sure they will add it onto your site for you.

Right now you can buy an SSL certificate for around £30. If you have subdomains on your site e.g. yourdomain.com and shop.yourdomain.com and knowledgebase.yourdomain.com – and you want to cover them all you will need a ‘wildcard’ certificate which is closer to £100 and over.

Discuss your needs with a potential supplier before buying.

Adding https to WordPress

If you have a WordPress website adding an SSL certificate to a domain will not automatically add it to your WordPress site.

 It isn’t difficult; it can just be a little tricky.

You must ensure that your SSL certificate is available on your web server before taking the next step.

You will need a plugin. It is called WORDPRESS HTTPS.

Once the plugin is installed on every post and page you already have, plus any new ones you set up, you will see an option to secure the page or post. When you select that it automatically shows up as https.

It doesn’t automatically happen, you have to manually add it, so for all the current pages on your site you will have to open up each page, select it, and then save.

Is it worth getting https web security?

Right now this isn’t something that I would say is essential but six months from now who knows. Something that Google says is “important but not a big deal” can quickly turn into an essential item in a matter of months.

Quality content is still the most important ranking factor for your website but https web securty cannot be ignored for very long.

If you sell anything or you ask people to add their personal details e.g. on a forum or community site I recommend you buy an SSL certificate and add https web security to your site so people are safe.

https web security on influencer.biz

I have now added an SSL certificate to this business blogging platform which means all sites are secure. I bought a wildcard, which means it covers the main domain and the other sites I create on this network.

You can see from the image above, if you are using Chrome, that a green padlock appears and the letters https:// also appear in green.  Hover your mouse over the padlock and a menu appears giving you more details about the security I have on this site.