What does an SSL certificate do?

Why is SSL necessary?

• Privacy. Everything a visitor fills in, such as a name, email address, or message in your contact form, is encrypted over the internet. Without SSL, someone on the same wifi network could theoretically eavesdrop.
• Trust. Browsers like Chrome, Safari, and Edge label websites without SSL as “Not secure”. Visitors then drop off, especially if they need to fill something in.
• Google. Google uses https as one of the signals to evaluate websites. A website without SSL has a harder time.
• Webshop. For payments and customer accounts, a secure connection is a requirement.

Do I already have it?

Open your website and look in the address bar. Do you see a padlock (or in newer browsers a small settings icon) and does the address start with https://? Then you have a working SSL certificate. Click on the padlock: your browser will then show that the connection is secure.

If you host your website with Lef in one of our packages, the SSL certificate is included. You don’t have to do anything for it yourself. What is included in the packages can be found on our page about web hosting.

“Not secure” in the browser: causes

Do you still see “Not secure” or a strikethrough padlock? This can have several causes:

• You are visiting the website via http://. Type the address with https:// and see if it works then.
• The certificate has expired or does not belong to the address. For example, if your domain has just been linked or moved. See linking your domain. We will resolve this.
• Mixed content. The page itself is secured, but there is something on it that is loaded via http://. See below.

Mixed content (http images)

If an image, video, or script is loaded via a regular http:// address on a secure page, the browser does not consider the page completely secure. This often happens with:

• an old link to an image in text that still starts with http://;
• code that you pasted into a Code block, such as a map or a widget from another website (see placing a Google Maps map or other code).

Change such an address to https://. If the image or widget no longer works, then that other website does not support https; look for an alternative.

Who takes care of it?

If your website is with Lef, we take care of the SSL certificate. Do you see “Not secure” and it is not due to an old http link in your own text? contact us, and we will check it. If your website is elsewhere, your hosting provider will arrange the certificate. You can read more about keeping your website secure in keeping your website safe and up-to-date, and an overview of domain, email, and hosting in everything about email, domain, and hosting.

Is it not working?

• “Not secure” on one page. Search that page for images, videos, or code with http:// and change them to https://.
• “Not secure” on the entire website. Try the address with https://. If it persists, contact us.
• A message that the certificate is invalid or expired. We will resolve this. Send us a screenshot of the message.

Can’t figure it out? Contact us or call 06 35 66 47 73. We are happy to help.