3 Steps To Easily Add HTTPS Protection To WordPress Websites

In our last tutorial, I taught you how to add https protection to a normal website. However, in case you want to add https redirection into a website using WordPress, you will have to do some additional configurations which I will be teaching you how to do so, below.

Why Would I Want To Add HTTPS Protection Into My WordPress Website?

Well, besides the obvious reasons for making it hard for hackers, packet sniffers and other types of intruders from knowing what everyone is doing or sending to your website. Thanks to HTTPS’s communication protocol, which allows clients to safely communicate with your servers by sending packets and vice-versa. In short, not only it makes your website look more authentic by giving an air of professionalism because of this security layer. But it also, search engines give your website a better SEO rating if it’s using HTTPS encryption. Do I need to say anymore to convince you?

Prerequisites Before Starting This Tutorial

Like our previous tutorial, that taught you how to add https protection on websites that don’t use WordPress, for the steps below work, you need to make sure that your hosting provider and domain support HTTPS encryption because if it doesn’t no matter what you do your site won’t be able to have HTTPS Protection.

# Step 1: Installing Really Simple SSL

Now, that you made sure you meet the prerequisite we can start the tutorial! To simplify these steps, we will be using a WordPress plugin called Really Simple SSL. For those who never heard about it. Really Simple SSL is a plugin written in PHP for WordPress websites to simplify the process of adding HTTPS protection into WordPress-based websites.

1.1) Go to your WordPress Dashboard, after doing so, click on the plugin section which can be found in the menu located on the left.

1.2) After you click on Plugins a submenu under Plugins will show up with three options available. For now, we will be clicking on the second option, Add New.

1.3) You will be met with a selection of plugins available to download through WordPress’s official database. In the Add Plugins section look for Really Simple SSL.

1.35) When you do find Really Simple SSL hit the install button!

Since I’ve already installed Really Simple SSL on the website I’m using to make this tutorial the Install text was replaced by a text stating the plugin is “Active”. But if it wasn’t installed all I would need to do was to click on the install(it says active because I already installed it) button which is highlighted in red in the image above.

# Step 2: Configuring Really Simple SSL

2.1) After it finishes installing it we need to make sure it has been activated on your website. To do so, we will have to click on the plugin menu again, but this time we will go to its installed plugins submenu.

2.2) After clicking on the Installed plugins submenu you will be met with a page showing you a list of all the plugins you’ve currently installed in your WordPress-based website.

2.3) Now, you will need to go to this page and check if Really Simple SSL is already active or not. Below I will be giving you an example of what an active plugin looks like and what inactive one does. If Really Simple SSL is not active, please click on the Activate text that will be located under its name in the list.

In my case, it was already active. If yours isn’t, as said before, click on the activate text under its name and wait a few seconds while it configures your site to be redirected.

2.4) Next, click on its settings text which will be located under its name. After doing so, you will be met with a screen like the one below

If you are using the free version and your setup looks like this one everything is ok and we can go to the next part.

2.6) Make sure to activate the settings as shown by the image below.

# Step 3: Checking If Everything Is Working Fine On Your Website.

After Installing and correctly setting up WordPress for your website don’t forget to test if the redirections are working as intended. To do so, type the name of your website and press enter!

If your website appears with a padlock in the address bar of your browser it means that you’ve successfully activated HTTPS into it. Congratulations! Now, don’t forget to make sure every link on your website works as intended after the HTTPS redirection we did.