How to Enable and Force SSL on Your Website with Sharebility Web Services Print

At Sharebility Web Services, all our cPanel hosting packages provide free SSL certificates automatically for every domain. This means your website is already secured with HTTPS at no extra cost.

SSL Status Tool in cPanel shows if your SSL Certificate is active or not.

However, some clients still run their sites without forcing HTTPS. Enabling and forcing SSL is important because:

• It protects user data from interception.

• It improves trust, as browsers show a secure padlock.

• It boosts your site’s ranking on search engines.

This guide will walk you through how to ensure your site always loads with HTTPS.

Step 1: Verify SSL is Active

1. Log in to your website using https://yourdomain.com.

2. If the padlock icon shows in the browser, your SSL is active.

3. If you still see warnings, try clearing your browser cache.

Step 2: For WordPress Sites

If you use WordPress, enabling SSL is simple with a plugin:

1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard.

2. Go to Plugins > Add New.

3. Search for Really Simple SSL.

4. Install and activate the plugin.

5. The plugin will automatically configure your site to run over HTTPS.

Tip: After enabling, check all pages to ensure images and links also load with HTTPS.

Step 3: For Non-WordPress Sites

For custom websites, you can use the .htaccess file to force all traffic to HTTPS.

1. Log in to your cPanel.

2. Open the File Manager and navigate to your website’s root folder (usually public_html).

3. Find or create a .htaccess file.

4. Add the following code at the top:

5. Save the file.

6. Refresh your website to confirm it redirects to HTTPS.

Step 4: Test Your Site

• Visit your domain using http://. It should automatically redirect to https://.

• Use SSL Checker to confirm your SSL is installed correctly.

Common Issues and Fixes

• Mixed Content Warnings: Some pages may load insecure elements (like images or scripts). Update all links to use https://.

• Too Many Redirects: If you already had other redirect rules, make sure they don’t conflict.

• Changes Not Applying: Clear your browser cache and CDN (if using one).

Conclusion

SSL is already included with your Sharebility hosting, but you need to force your website to always load securely. WordPress users can use plugins like Really Simple SSL, while custom sites can set HTTPS redirection through .htaccess.

Taking these simple steps ensures your visitors browse safely and improves your site’s credibility.