Learning Hub · Beginner · 20 minutes
How to Add SSL to WordPress
Serve every page over https with no mixed-content warnings — a practical, no-jargon walkthrough with the classic mistake flagged before you make it.
The short answer
In one line: serve every page over https with no mixed-content warnings — a beginner-level job taking 20 minutes.
The walkthrough below covers each step, the mistake most people make, and the shortcut worth knowing. On HostingAlly plans, several of the steps are handled for you — we note where.
Beginner
Difficulty
20 minutes
Time needed
5
Steps
24/7
Help if you're stuck
This guide assumes no prior expertise — just a hosting account, a browser, and 20 minutes of attention. Every instruction works on our platform exactly as written, and translates to any standard cPanel host.
One promise before starting: nothing in this guide is irreversible. Where a step could bite, we say so and give the undo.
The shape of the job
Here's the complete route: confirm the certificate exists, update the wordpress address, force the redirect, hunt down mixed content and update the ecosystem.
Each stage is a few minutes of focused clicking — the elapsed time mostly depends on how familiar the control panel already feels. The detailed steps are listed further down this page; skim the whole route once before starting.
Where this goes wrong (and how to not)
Changing the site URL but skipping the database search-replace — every pre-SSL image embed still loads over http, and browsers flag the 'secure' site as not quite secure indefinitely.
It's worth internalising because it's not a rare edge case — it's the single most common way this task generates a support ticket. Knowing it in advance converts the whole job from risky to routine.
One habit that makes this easier forever
Test with a private window after clearing cache — your own browser's memory of the http site is the most common source of 'it's still broken' false alarms.
Small habits like this are the real difference between people who find hosting easy and people who find it stressful — the tools are identical; the workflow isn't.
The parts you can skip on our hosting
Several steps in this guide exist because hosting historically made you do them — on our plans, SSL issues itself, backups run daily without being asked, and one-click installers replace manual setup entirely. What remains is the genuinely-yours part of the task.
Stuck mid-task at an odd hour? That's what 24/7 human support is for — describe where you are in this guide and we'll take it from there.
Guides are easier on a good platform
Every walkthrough in our Learning Hub is tested on the platform we actually run — cPanel, LiteSpeed, NVMe, one-click installs — so instructions match your screen instead of gesturing at it.
Every plan includes free SSL that renews itself, so the padlock is never your job.
- Step-by-step, tested as written
- The gotcha flagged before you hit it
- Automation covers the boring steps
- 24/7 support if you get stuck
Why HostingAlly
What you get with every plan
Written from real tickets
Our guides come from the support desk — the gotchas are the ones people actually hit.
The undo is always named
Where a step could bite, the guide says so and gives the reversal.
Works as written
Every step tested on our own platform — no 'your host may vary' hand-waving.
Automation where it belongs
SSL, backups and installs run themselves here — the guide covers only what's genuinely yours to do.
No jargon tax
Terms are explained in place or linked to the glossary — nothing assumes you already know.
Help on standby
Stuck at step three at midnight? Support answers around the clock, mid-guide included.
Getting Started
How to get going
- 1
Confirm the certificate exists
On our hosting, free SSL issues automatically once the domain points here — check the padlock on a direct https visit before configuring anything.
- 2
Update the WordPress address
Settings → General: change both URLs to https:// — WordPress generates links from these fields, so they're the source of truth.
- 3
Force the redirect
Ensure http visits land on https sitewide — our default configuration handles it, or a .htaccess rule does the same explicitly.
- 4
Hunt down mixed content
Old posts embed http:// images and scripts — run a search-replace from http://yourdomain to https://yourdomain, and the padlock stops flickering.
- 5
Update the ecosystem
Search Console, analytics and any hardcoded integrations should reference the https URLs — protocol changes are small migrations.
Included
What's covered on our plans
- cPanel — the industry-standard control panel
- LiteSpeed server-level caching
- Free domain for the first year on annual plans
- Free website migration handled by our team
- Per-site PHP version selection
- 99.9% uptime commitment, monitored around the clock
- Email accounts on your own domain
- No setup fees, ever
- Daily automatic backups with self-service restores
- Renewal prices that match signup prices
FAQ
Your questions, answered
Why does my padlock show but with a warning?
Mixed content — the page is https but loads some asset (usually old images) over http. A database search-replace of the domain's protocol fixes the archive in one pass.
Does moving to https affect SEO?
Positively and permanently — https is a confirmed ranking signal, and the 301 redirects preserve existing equity through the switch. It's among the safest 'migrations' a site can perform.
Is there a money-back guarantee?
Yes — try the hosting properly and if it doesn't fit, the refund process is a request, not a retention gauntlet. Domain registrations are the one standard carve-out, since registries make those non-refundable the moment they're placed.
Do prices go up at renewal?
No — the price you sign up at is the price you renew at. We don't run teaser-rate economics, so there's no year-two ambush to plan around, and your bookkeeping can rely on the number staying put.
What happens if I outgrow my plan?
You upgrade in place — plan changes apply from your client area without migrations or downtime, and our range runs from small shared plans through VPS to dedicated servers, so growth is an account change rather than a new-host project.
Is SSL really included at no cost?
On every plan, with no exceptions — certificates are issued automatically when your domain points to us and renew themselves before expiry. The encryption is identical to paid DV certificates; paid tiers exist only for wildcard convenience or organisation-level validation.
Where is your company based?
HostingAlly is a trading name of Bohzo Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales — a real, verifiable business with published terms under English law, which is worth checking about any host before you hand them your domain.
Keep exploring
How to Connect to a VPS With SSH
First login done right — and passwordless by the end — intermediate level, 20 minutes.
WordPress SEO First Steps
The foundation settings that let a new site be found at all — beginner level, an hour.
WordPress Hosting
Managed WordPress with LiteSpeed caching, staging and automatic backups.
Web Hosting
NVMe cPanel hosting with free SSL, migration and a free first-year domain.
Put an ally behind your website.
From your first site to a fleet of servers, the upgrade path is an account change, not a migration.
See Hosting Plans