HTTP to HTTPS - Secure your Website with SSL for Free

Fix connection "Not Secure" warning in Google Chrome. A complete guide to installing a free SSL certificate.

Created byAndrew Williams

Last updated 12/2025

English

What you'll learn

Understand why SSL is important.
Understand how SSL works.
Migrate an HTTP Wordpress website to HTTPS
Use AutoSSL if it is enabled on the host.
Setup redirects so Google will know the site has moved, and visitors will automatically be redirected to the secure HTTPS webpage.
Secure the Wordpress dashboard, so those that login always have a secure connection.
Check that SSL is working on all pages on a website.
Find and fix mixed content.

Course content

5 sections • 37 lectures • 2h 22m total length

Introductions6:38
In this video, I'll introduce myself, and what you can expect from this course.
What is SSL and Why Switch?5:32
SSL, TLS, confused? This lecture explains what SSL is, and why you should implement it on your site.
cPanel & AutoSSL1:53
Since version 58 of cPanel, AutoSSL has been available to web developers. This lecture shows you how to check if your cPanel is up-to-date.
How HTTPS Works3:46
This lecture explains a little bit more about how SSL works.
Check if HTTPS is Already Enabled6:25
If your web host has AutoSSL enabled, you may already have an HTTPS version of your site available to you. This video looks at how you can check.
HTTP or HTTPS, Not Both3:02
So, with AutoSSL enabled, my sites now have both HTTP and HTTPS versions. This is not a great idea and I'll explain why in this lecture
Which Web Host?2:05
This lecture quickly goes through the type of web host you need for this course..
Before you Begin: Backup your Site0:20
Taking backups of your Wordpress website is something we all should be doing on a regular basis. That is especially true before any major work is done on a site.

Why CloudFlare?6:19
I am going to ask you to install Cloudflare on your site, so this video explains why. I've been using it for years as a CDN to speed up my web page load times, and lower site downtime, but there are other great reasons to use this free tool.
How CloudFlare Works3:02
This lecture will show you a simple view of how Cloudflare works as a proxy.
Create a CloudFlare Account1:38
Let's create a Cloudflare account so we can start benefiting from this free tool.
Add your Site4:01
In this tutorial, we'll add a website that we are going to want to convert to HTTPS.
Special Case: When Hosting Includes CloudFlare1:39
Some web hosts work closely with CloudFlare. If yours does, then you can access some of Cloudflare's features from within your cPanel. All you need to do is connect your Cloudflare account with your cPanel. We'll do that in this lecture.
Change DNS at Registrar3:23
To take full advantage of Cloudflare, you need to change the DNS at your registrar so that your site is now served directly from Cloudflare (which communicates with your web host).
Types of SSL in Cloudflare4:22
We've talked about certificates in this course, and edge certificates in the last lecture. Let me explain what these are and what they are for.
Example Showing SSL Certificates5:21
This tutorial should consolidate your understanding of SSL certificates and how they exert levels of security on a website.

Choose Which Origin Certificate You Want3:37
For full SSL (strict), you need a certificate on your server. This lecture will show you how you can setup a free certificate using Cloudflare.
Exclude your Domain from AutoSLL2:43
For those that have AutoSSL configured on their server, but want to remove AutoSSL, this lecture shows you how to exclude your domain from AutoSSL.
Uninstall cPanel Generated Certificates2:13
If you have a certificate installed on your server that you want to remove, e.g. the one created by AutoSSL, then this lecture shows how to remove those certificates, so we can generate our own Origin certificate in Cloudflare.
Generate an Origin Certificate1:07
Let's create a free origin certificate for our website using Cloudflare.
Installing the Origin Certificate6:23
Let's install the origin certificate on our web server.

Secure the Dashboard4:22
When we log into the Wordpress Dashboard, we want the connection to be secure, so this lecture shows you how to force the secure HTTPS connection.
Redirect HTTP to HTTPS5:19
We want to get rid of the old insecure http version of every page on the site. This lecture will take you through the steps.
If the Dashboard Locks You Out?5:06
If the dashboard does lock you out of a secure login, then this lecture explains how to reinstate the insecure login until you can find the issue.
Wp Fastest Cache Problem1:14
Just a quick video of the WP Fastest Cache Issue.
Check Your SSL3:29
With the website conversion largely done, we need to check the site for SSL issues. We will use a few different sites to check for issues, but the most important of these spiders your site to check all pages for SSL.
What is Mixed Content and How do We Fix It?5:46
Mixed content causes problems by making otherwise secure pages, insecure. It is important to find and fix this mixed content, and fortunately it's quite easy. This lecture shows how to find and fix mixed content.
Example - Finding & Fixing Mixed Content5:36
This lecture shows a real example of finding and fixing mixed content on a website. I have attached a text file resource to this lecture that includes the URLs of the free tools I use in the video.
Fixing the "Unfixable" Mixed Content4:24
Sometimes it's "impossible" to fix the mixed content. For example, it may come from a plugin that has not been updated, so the resources used by that plugin are insecure. I had this issue on one of my sites with a plugin that I wanted to keep, simply because there was no viable alternative. This is where a plugin can help.
If you Use a Robots.txt File0:11
Do you have a robots.txt file?
If You've Used the Disavow Tool0:09
Have you disavowed links to your site?
Hard-coded links?0:53
Don't forget to check any links you may have hard coded in your site.
If you are Using Google Analytics0:38
If you use Google Analytics, you might want to go in and change properties to the HTTPS prefix, but it is not essential.
If you are using Google Search Console3:45
If you use Google Search Console, you need to go in and add the HTTPS version of your site. Google sees the HTTP and HTTPS versions as separate sites. By adding it to search console, you'll be making sure Google knows about your "move".

Fishy Fats Website15:41
This lecture shows a complete run-through of the entire process, from adding the site to Cloudflare, to installing certificates and creating redirects.
"Upgrade" from AutoSSL9:22
If you decide to use AutoSSL, you may find that you get emails suggesting a problem with certificate renewal. I get this on some domains constantly. Although it usually does finally auto-update, it can be a stressful time. This lecture shows you how easy it is to "upgrade" to a different certificate.
Bonus Lecture1:11
This lecture is a list of all resources mentioned in this course.

Requirements

You should have, or intend to have a Wordpress website hosted on a web host using cPanel. Most hosting platforms do use cPanel..
You need access to your cPanel and Wordpress dashboard.
Your web host should support server name indication (SNI) for Full (Strict) SSL. Ask them if in doubt, but most good hosts will. Without SNI, you can still implement the Flexible SSL described in this course and get the https lock.

Description

Are Your Website Visitors Seeing “Not Secure” in Their Browser?

It’s a bit unnerving, right? You’ve put time and effort into building your website, but when visitors land on your page, they might see that dreaded “Not Secure” warning. In today’s world, where online security is more important than ever, that little message can seriously impact how much people trust your site.

Trust is Everything
Imagine this: a potential customer visits your site, but instead of feeling reassured, they hesitate because their browser warns them about security. It’s not just a minor issue—it’s a deal-breaker. People are becoming increasingly cautious about sharing their information online, and a website that isn’t secure can instantly lose credibility.

How to Know If Your Site Is Secure
It’s easy to check. Just glance at the address bar of your browser. If your site is secure, you’ll see a little padlock icon—sometimes even the word “Secure” next to it. If it’s not secure, there’s no padlock, and some browsers, like Google Chrome, may even display “Not Secure.”

That’s not a good look.

The Solution? SSL (Secure Sockets Layer)
SSL is the industry standard for creating a secure, encrypted connection between a website and a visitor’s browser. You’ll know a website is protected when the URL starts with “HTTPS://” rather than just “HTTP://”—the “S” means secure.

Setting up SSL used to be a hassle, and it could get pretty pricey. But the good news? You don’t have to worry about that anymore. In my course, I’ll show you how to get a free SSL certificate, install it, and make your site secure—step by step. Plus, we’ll boost your site’s speed and security even further by connecting to Cloudflare, a powerful content delivery network.

Here’s What You’ll Learn:

The importance of SSL and why it helps your website rank better on Google.
How HTTPS works and how to set it up correctly.
Tips on checking whether your site is already secure (some hosts set it up for you automatically).
How to update your site and make sure all your pages are fully secure.
Using Cloudflare to protect your site and boost performance.
Handling mixed content issues and fixing them to maintain full SSL security.
Updating Google Analytics and Search Console after transitioning to HTTPS.

Why This Course Is Different:
I know that technical stuff can feel overwhelming, so I made this course hands-on and beginner-friendly. I’ll walk you through every step using one of my own sites as an example. You can follow along and see exactly how it’s done. At the end, I’ve included a complete conversion from start to finish in a single video—no guessing, just clear guidance.

Ready to Make Your Site Secure?
Join me, and let’s make sure your website shows that reassuring padlock—so your visitors know they can trust you.

Who this course is for:

Wordpress website owners that want to move their HTTP site to the secure HTTPS
Anyone interested in learning more about SSL and why HTTPS is important going forward.

HTTP to HTTPS - Secure your Website with SSL for Free

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Introduction8 lectures • 30min

CloudFlare Account8 lectures • 30min

Setting up the Origin Certificate?5 lectures • 16min

HTTP to HTTPS13 lectures • 41min

A Complete Run-Through3 lectures • 26min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: