Bluehost is one of the top web hosts for running WordPress based blogs and websites.
They are also one of the WordPress hosting companies recommended by SidelinePlay . In the past, I have shared many tutorials to help you use Bluehost hosting and make the most of it.
Here are some popular ones:
In today's exclusive tutorial, you will learn how to use a free SSL certificate with Bluehost hosting . Using this guide, you will migrate your WordPress blog from HTTP to HTTPS.
According to Google, using SSL is one of the positive ranking factors. Moreover, SSL can add higher trust to your blog.
When it comes to SSL certificates, you can choose to use a free certificate or a paid certificate.
Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links. If you purchase a tool through one of these links, SML will earn a small commission ☕️, but at no extra cost to you.
Before we proceed, let's learn more about SSL certificates so you know what you are doing.
First, there are different types of SSL certificates.
For information-based websites, such as blogs, using a free SSL certificate is a good option.
The most popular company that issues free SSL certificates is Let'sEncrypt. They have revolutionized the SSL certificate model, making it easier for individuals like you and me to get started with SSL certificates without paying a penny.
However, when you run an e-commerce platform or a transaction-based website, you might consider using an EV (Extended Validation) or OV (Organization Validation) certificate that is only available from paid providers.
- Optional reading: Things you need to know before purchasing an SSL certificate
In this tutorial, I will share all the steps you need to follow to start using a free SSL certificate for your WordPress blog hosted on Bluehost .
Keep in mind that this is a major task and you should set aside at least an hour to complete all of the work. Once you’ve migrated your site to HTTPS, you’ll also need to do a few other things to ensure your traffic isn’t affected, so you’ll want to make sure you set aside enough time.
Are you ready?
A complete guide on how to use a free SSL certificate for WordPress on Bluehost
Note: Before you begin the following steps, make sure that you have disabled Who.Is protection and that your domain's Who.Is information is updated.
It will only take you a few hours to do this as sometimes Bluehost will send an email to verify domain ownership.
After successfully activating your SSL certificate, you can enable Who.Is protection for your domain again.
With that out of the way, let’s get started with this epic guide…
Therefore, Bluehost now offers free SSL certificates to its users directly from the Bluehost cPanel.
To get started, log into your Bluehost dashboard and click My Sites > Manage Sites
Click Security to access the SSL options panel.
In front of ‘Free SSL Certificate’, switch the button to ‘ On.’ This will start installing the free SSL certificate on your Bluehost hosting account.
You may see pending notifications and this message:
“We are working hard...
We are setting up your SSL – this may take several hours. In some cases, we may require action on your part. If so, you will receive an email with instructions. For now, feel free to start exploring WordPress or start building your site. ”
You will also receive an email from Bluehost's billing team regarding your free SSL certificate purchase.
In my case, I left the page running for 45 minutes and it was still loading. Finally, I reloaded the page and had to toggle the "Free SSL Certificate" button back to "On".
This time, within 5 minutes, the page stopped loading and I got the final screen.
This means that the free SSL certificate has been installed on the domain and we can now migrate our website from HTTP to HTTPS.
It’s best to use an online SSL checker tool like sslshopper to verify that your domain has a valid SSL certificate.
If you’re doing this for an existing WordPress site, your real work starts here.
There are several steps you need to take to ensure that you migrate from HTTP to HTTPS correctly. Additionally, you need to pay attention to SEO.
But don't worry, because this tutorial will help you through each step of properly migrating to HTTPS.
Migrate your WordPress site from HTTP to HTTPS
Now that the SSL certificate is activated, the next step is to force all content to load on HTTPS and make sure the HTTP to HTTPS migration is search engine friendly. If you don’t do this, you might end up losing traffic.
Follow all the steps mentioned below and within the next 10-15 minutes you will successfully move your WordPress blog to HTTPS.
Note: SiteGround , A2Hosting , and InmotionHosting users can also take advantage of free SSL certificates. Simply ask your hosting support team to enable a free SSL certificate for you and then follow the steps below to further complete the migration from HTTP to HTTPS.
Install the Really Simple SSL plugin
When you enable a free SSL certificate on Bluehost hosting, it automatically updates your website’s URL.
However, currently, your website is accessible via HTTP and HTTPS addresses.
By using the Really Simple SSL WordPress plugin , all your traffic on HTTP will be automatically redirected to HTTPS.
- This is a simple plug and play plugin.
Once you install and activate the plugin, you will see a screen like this:
Click Continue to activate SSL!
Edit the .htaccess file and add the HTTP to HTTPS redirect code
You will also need to add these lines of code to your WordPress .htaccess file.
You can edit this file using the Yoast SEO plugin or via FTP. Here is a guide to help you learn more about editing .htaccess files.
Add at the beginning or end of your .htaccess file:
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]
Once you’re done, you’re almost done moving your WordPress blog to HTTPS.
Update all HTTP URLs in your database to HTTPS using the Really Simple plugin
The Really Simple SSL plugin + the .htaccess code above will help you redirect all traffic from HTTP to HTTPS. However, it is best to update all existing links from HTTP to HTTPS.
You can do this using a WordPress plugin called Better Search & Replace.
Install and activate the plugin. Go to Tools > Search and Replace to start using the plugin.
Note: Before running this plugin, please backup your WordPress database.
Once you’re done, you can also install the Broken Link Checker plugin and use its Redirects module to find links pointing to third-party websites over HTTP (which should now be HTTPS).
This is the regular practice I follow to keep my website’s SEO intact.
Now it’s time to make some changes to your Cloudflare dashboard (or use the Cloudflare WordPress plugin).
Steps for Cloudflare users
In my previous blog post, I told you to start using Cloudflare because it helps in many ways:
First, log into your Cloudflare dashboard and go to your domain.
Go to Crypto and under "SSL" change the setting to Full.
On the same page, scroll down and enable Automatic HTTPS Rewrite.
That's it!
Your HTTP to HTTPS migration is now complete.
However, you still need to do a few simple things:
- Submit your new HTTPS site to Google Search Console and submit your sitemap .
- Update your profile link on Google Analytics.
- Update your website links on your social media profiles and anywhere else you exist. You can do this step in stages over the next few days.
- Read this guide to learn more about HTTP to HTTPS migration and fixing mixed content.
- If you have disabled Who.Is protection for your domain, you can now enable it.
Well, that's it! If you've completed all of the above steps, give yourself a pat on the back. It's time to celebrate.
Conclusion: Free SSL on Bluehost
The new WordPress tools in Bluehost cPanel make it easier for every Bluehost user to enjoy a free SSL certificate. However, if you are activating a free SSL for an existing blog, you will also need to follow the steps above to ensure that migrating from HTTP to HTTPS does not affect your traffic.
For new bloggers who are just starting out, you can simply enable HTTPS right after purchasing hosting from Bluehost.
Get hosting from Bluehost (Free SSL + PHP 8 + Free Domain)
Now it’s your turn to tell me: how was your migration from HTTP to HTTPS? Did you encounter any problems? How did you overcome them? Let me know about your experience in the comments section below!
Did you find this tutorial useful? Share it with others who are using Bluehost to run a WordPress blog!
Disclosure: Some of the links in this article contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission if you click through to visit us, at no extra cost to you. See how SidelinePlay is funded, why it’s important, and how you can support us.
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