Today, with few exceptions, almost no single website aims to hit the top of the market that doesn’t have an SSL certificate installed. This is because the market and the customers’ needs are far more essential and mandatory for business owners than anything else. Therefore, customers’ satisfaction has to be met.
Ensure the #importance of owning an #SSL #plugin on your website. We have listed a couple of #incredible ones for you.
But, for those not entirely familiar or newbies in the online marketing and business world, let’s break the definition of SSL down.
What is an SSL?
SSL is an acronym for “secure socket layer.” It has become the standard technology used to secure the internet connection between the client (sender) and the server (receiver) of the message. It does that by encrypting the communication leaving little or no possibilities for an intruder to intercept it and steal information.
Let’s assume you want to visit a web page with a form you need to fill out and submit. However, you need to enter confidential and private information such as email addresses, local addresses, credit card numbers, etc.
If the website you are submitting the form from lacks SSL or TLS (an improved version of SSL), you are at risk of having your confidential data stolen by an attacker. Those attacks are mainly carried out using man-in-the-middle tools.
But what happens behind the scenes? Since most significant websites have an SSL certificate installed today, those attacks are deprecated and are of little use. But, how were they executed in the past?
A hacker would make and put a small program on the target website’s server that is undetectable and hard to find by the website owner. Then, when a client on the target website starts typing, it will trigger the program and make it start capturing the information, which it then sends back to the hacker.
What is an SSL certificate?
An SSL certificate is a digital document that creates a website’s identity by binding it to a cryptographic key pair. Each pair consists of a public and private key.
The public key is used to instruct a web browser to begin an encrypted connection session with a server via the HTTPS protocol. On the other hand, the private key is the key that is stored and kept secure on the server. Generally, we use it for digitally signing web pages and other documents on the web.
An SSL certificate also holds some information about a website, such as domain name, the site’s owner, and more.
Why do you need it?
Okay, we have briefly noted why every website owner should have an SSL installed on their websites. However, let’s explore more about it and see why you should get one for your website.
Indeed, there are various reasons to have an SSL, especially in 2022. Some of them are listed below:
- to keep the data of your clients secure
- verify the website’s ownership
- online shopping
- prevent attackers from stealing the users’ data by building fake (phishing websites)
- medical records
- legal documents and contracts
- personally identifiable information — such as full name, address, date of birth, or telephone number
- and most importantly, make your clients trust you
These are all the valid reasons that are enough to make you decide to get one for your business.
Whenever your clients need to enter their private information on your website, it is an immediate flag indicating you need to get an SSL certificate. Today, most modern browsers for HTTP websites give a red flag to the users that the site they are currently browsing is insecure and risky to visit.
You should always try to avoid it because if users see this warning before they even get to your website, most of them will leave and not give your website a chance. However, this is because, as previously stated, people primarily want to feel safe when browsing websites.
Therefore, you should make them feel that way. One of the things you can do is to install an SSL certificate. Here is our list of Top 5 SSL WordPress plugins you need to check out in 2022.
WP Force SSL
WP Force SSL is a WordPress plugin developed to help website owners and online businesses fix SSL errors and mixed content issues without changing the code.
With WP Force SSL, all you need to do is navigate to the plugin’s settings page and activate it. There is no need to go through a long configuration and setting the plugin up. Activate the plugin, and you are good to go.
WP Force SSL will ensure that your entire site (all pages and subdomains) only uses the HTTPS protocol and your SSL certificate. Furthermore, you can use an SSL certificate, both free (Let’s Encrypt) and paid.
WP Force SSL plugin comes in two versions: FREE and PRO. The Pro version is recommended for users who need more than standard features.
Therefore, if you feel the Free version is not enough for you and lacks some of the crucial components you need for your business, we recommend that you consider upgrading to the Pro version.
Here is the list of the things you can do with WP Force SSL:
- Check SSL certificate expiry date
- Check WP address URL is set for SSL
- SSL monitoring (Pro feature)
- Check if WP home URL is set for SSL
- File redirection (Pro feature)
- Solve mixed-content issue (Pro feature)
- 404 redirection (Pro feature)
- Redirect HTTP to HTTPS
- Force secure cookies (Pro feature)
- Cross-site scripting protection (Pro feature)
- X-Frame Options
There are some features of WP Force SSL that make it unique and probably the best SSL tool for WordPress users. You can learn more about it down below.
SSL Monitoring
Why would you bother checking on the dashboard to see what errors you have on your website related to SSL? With WP Force SSL, you can scan for SSL certificates and receive notifications about any potential errors via email. Furthermore, SSL monitoring will remind you to renew your SSL certificate.
Content Scanner
The content scanner is another significant part of the WP Force SSL plugin that checks and fixes mixed content issues on your website. You can choose whether to have it automatically scan for errors or do it manually yourself.
Pricing
You can get it for free but with limited features. However, there is also a PRO plan starting from $59.
WP Encryption
WP Encryption plugin, you can generate a Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate and install it for your WordPress site in a few steps. In addition, if you need to check your website’s SSL score to fix insecure or mixed content issues – that is pretty possible with the WP Encryption tool.
Pricing
You can get this WP plugin starting from $29 for the basic PRO plan.
Really Simple SSL
Really Simple SSL is the most basic SSL WordPress plugin on the list. It detects your website’s settings and configures it only to use the HTTPS protocol. In comparison, Really Simple SSL does not offer too many options, but it is mainly used to move the entire website to SSL with one click.
You can upgrade to the Premium plan if you need extended options such as:
- mixed content scanner & fixer,
- advanced security headers,
- content security policy,
- premium support, and more.
Pricing
Really Simple SSL is a free tool, but the Premium subscription starts from $29.
One Click SSL
One Click SSL is a WordPress plugin that keeps your web pages accessed only through an HTTPS protocol.
A simple configuration will first determine whether the hosting or web server supports the SSL certificate you are attempting to install. Only if it’s supported it will proceed with the installation and enable it.
Pricing
One Click SSL is an entirely free plugin to use and activate for your WordPress website.
SSL Zen
SSL Zen is a WP SSL plugin used to install an SSL certificate for your WordPress website. Besides it, it also increases SEO ranking; customers will trust you by making online payments safe and secure.
However, if you require features such as automatic SSL certificate renewal, spam and brute-force protection, XSS and SQL injection protection, and more, the plugin’s premium version is available.
Pricing
This fantastic plugin offers its free version. Further, there is a plan called CPANEL, and it costs $29 per year. Lastly, there is also a CONTENT DELIVERY NETWORK plan, which costs $49 per year.
Conclusion
You have learned about the importance of having an SSL certificate on your website. SSL installation and configuration can be done either using an automatic tool or manually. You can choose any according to how familiar you are with SSL.
We highly recommend you use a tool if you are a beginner.
For WordPress users, there are various great tools, both free and paid, that will help you install, monitor, and renew SSL certificates for your WordPress website. We hope you will consider giving it a shot, and we can promise you, you won’t regret it!