If your site don’t have the green padlock it may mean it is not secured with a valid SSL certificate. The green padlock shown at the top left of your browser indicates that your website is secure. Since January 2017, Google has flagged sites without SSL certificate as insecure. SSL stands for Secure Socket Layer.
It is unwise to make transactions on insecure websites. Don’t enter your password on any site without a valid SSL certificate installed. There is more to security than to install a SSL certificate on website. Yet you must not ignore this important feature on a website. The presence of the green padlock on most modern browsers, indicates a valid SSL on a website.
How to get the green padlock on your website
To get the green padlock on your website, you must install a valid SSL certificate on your website. That is all you need. Top web hosting companies are doing that for free for their clients. Some of them that I know include, but not limited to:
- Flywheel,
- Siteground,
- WordPress.com, and
- Bluehost.
These hosts install valid SSL certificates for their clients at default. And it is free! That means, when you host with them, your site would display the green padlock in the browser.
You do not need to worry if you are not hosting your website with the companies I have mentioned above. There are other ways to get an SSL certificate installed on your website. Let us look at the options:
1. You can buy
You can buy one from whichever hosting company you are hosting with. Ask your hosting company’s support if they have one for sale and pay for it.
2. Let’s Encrypt
As a savvy business owner, if you do not have the money or you want to spend on something else, get one free. That’s right. You can get the green padlock free of charge on your website.
There is an organization called Let?s Encrypt. It has partnered with some Hosts to offer free SSL certificates to websites. This is a huge project supported by global brands like Google, Amazon, and Automatic to mention but a few. Soon, the web will be a lot secure if every website embraces this opportunity to get the green padlock.
For my clients, I make sure they get a free SSL certificate installed on their website. I do that as soon as I finish setting up their website for them.
3. Cloudflare
Finally, Cloudflare offers free or paid SSL certificates with global content delivery network. If you sign up for a free or paid Cloudflare account, then you are eligible for a valid SSL installed on your website. You should not miss this one.
Cloudflare installs an SSL certificate, protects and speeds up your website. I have written a book on how to get a FREE SSL certificate from Cloudflare titled: The Green Padlock This book will walk you through the process to install a free SSL certficate from Cloudflare.
You can buy the book: the Green Padlock today. Let me know in the comments section if you need any help.