{"id":3635,"date":"2016-11-18T13:05:03","date_gmt":"2016-11-18T11:05:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/themeisle.com\/blog\/?p=3635"},"modified":"2023-11-10T15:57:29","modified_gmt":"2023-11-10T13:57:29","slug":"add-wordpress-https","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/themeisle.com\/blog\/add-wordpress-https\/","title":{"rendered":"How to “Properly” Move WordPress from HTTP to HTTPS"},"content":{"rendered":"

Back in 2014, Google made the announcement that HTTPS was officially a ranking factor for Google search. That one little decision took HTTPS<\/a> from “that thing that only ecommerce stores need to worry about” to “something every WordPress user should implement<\/strong> if they want to maximize their search rankings”. But as important as it is, WordPress HTTPS is, thankfully, also surprisingly easy to implement. Here’s how to add WordPress HTTPS to your website.<\/p>\n

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In this post, I’m going to show you exactly how to add HTTPS to WordPress using a live production site. I’ll cover everything from implementing HTTPS\u00a0on your WordPress site to updating Google Analytics and the Google Search Console.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

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\n\t\t \t\tHow to properly move #WordPress from HTTP to #HTTPS \ud83d\udd12<\/a>\n\t\t \t<\/div>\n\t\t \t
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7 steps to move your WordPress site to HTTPS \ud83d\udd11<\/h2>\n
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  1. Add WordPress HTTPS by installing your SSL certificate<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. Install and configure the Really Simple SSL plugin<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. Verify WordPress HTTPS success on the front-end<\/a><\/li>\n
  4. Update your site\u2019s URL in Google Analytics<\/a><\/li>\n
  5. Create a new property in Google Search Console<\/a><\/li>\n
  6. Update CDN URL to HTTPS<\/a><\/li>\n
  7. Update any links you control to HTTPS<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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    Step 1: Add WordPress HTTPS by installing your SSL certificate<\/h3>\n

    We’ve already discussed some sources for cheap WordPress SSL certificates<\/a>, so you might want to take a quick detour there if you’re not sure where to get started. Because SSL certificates<\/a> are what get you the HTTPS connection for your WordPress site, the two terms will be used interchangeably in this article.<\/p>\n

    If you’re using shared hosting, the easiest SSL certificate for you to implement is Let’s Encrypt<\/a>. As Sufyan discussed, Let’s Encrypt certificates have the advantage of being both free and widely supported by hosting providers.<\/p>\n

    That second point is essential, because unless you’re hosting your WordPress site on a dedicated server<\/a>, you’ll need your host’s support to install an SSL certificate.<\/p>\n

    So, to get your Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate installed, I recommend you contact your host’s support or consult their knowledge base. Unfortunately, I can’t give you exact instructions because the specific process will vary depending on your host.<\/p>\n

    For example, with SiteGround<\/a> I just need to click one button in my cPanel<\/a>, but your host might be different:<\/p>\n

    \"How<\/p>\n

    Once your SSL certificate is installed, you can verify that it’s active by going to https:\/\/yourdomain.com<\/code>. If the certificate is properly installed, you should see something like this:<\/p>\n

    \"wordpress-ssl-certificate-2\"<\/p>\n

    Google is telling you that the SSL certificate is active, but the connection still isn’t 100% private due to some issues we’ll fix in the next step.<\/p>\n

    On the other hand, if your WordPress HTTPS\u00a0is not<\/strong> properly installed, you’ll encounter something like below and will need to contact your host:<\/p>\n

    \"wordpress-ssl-certificate-3\"
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    Step 2: Install and configure the Really Simple SSL plugin<\/h3>\n

    Remember how I said you need to fix some issues to make your SSL certificate function properly? The Really Simple SSL plugin is the easiest way to do that.<\/p>\n

    Google gives that “connection is private BUT<\/strong>” warning because your WordPress site still includes images or other media which are inserted using the regular http:\/\/<\/code> URL, rather than your new https:\/\/<\/code> URL. To fix the issue, you need to go back and update every single image link to https:\/\/<\/code>.<\/p>\n

    Luckily, you don’t need to do that manually. The Really Simple SSL plugin will handle that for you. The plugin will also make two other important changes:<\/p>\n

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    1. It updates the URL for your site to HTTPS in the WordPress settings.<\/li>\n
    2. It adds a 301 redirect to send all human and search engine traffic to the HTTPS versions of your pages. This is essential<\/strong> to avoid a potential duplicate content penalty in Google.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      To handle all of this, install and activate<\/a> Really Simple SSL.<\/p>\n

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      \n\t\t\n\t\t\t\"Really\t\t\tReally Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL)<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t
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      Author(s):\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tReally Simple Plugins<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t

      Current Version:<\/span> 9.5.9<\/p>\n\t\t\t

      Last Updated:<\/span> March 31, 2026<\/p>\n\t\t\t

      Direct Download<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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