WordPress check SSL Certificate (How-To Guide for Beginners)

Let’s learn how to check the SSL certificate in WordPress.

The secure sockets layer (SSL) protects your site’s communication. In case of sensitive information, such as credit card transactions – SSL encryption helps users:

• Keeps user’s data secure
• Helps customers verify the portal’s authenticity
• Prevents attackers from launching Sniffing attacks
• It avoids fake replicas of authentic sources, such as Brands

The point is, how do you check an SSL certificate on a WordPress website? Let’s dig deeper into the subject.

How to use This Resource?

The subject in this resource dives deep into checking and troubleshooting SSL certificate(s) in WordPress. Hold on, the approaches in this article are beginner-friendly.

Users are advised to follow the Headings in order. First, you can explore basic maneuvers and complex procedures to check WordPress SSL certificate(s).

However, we recommend staying out of the business if you need to learn how to treat, find, fix, and confirm SSL problems. A single step forward could result in disasters. For example, setting redirects from HTTP to HTTPS is a tedious procedure. If you need to learn how to set proper redirects in WordPress, a wrong turn could take down the whole site(s) without letting users know what’s happening in the background. Period.

WordPress check SSL Certificate

Use an Online Checking Tool for SSL

The most straightforward approach to checking WordPress’ SSL is ” using an SSL checker online”. In this case, entering the site’s URL in a tool helps users determine if SSL has been installed successfully and shows a secure connection on WordPress or if an issue exists, such as the site showing as not secure.

The following screenshot shows how to check WordPress’ SSL using Online Tools.

The story continues – if you want to ensure your site’s SSL has been installed, managed, and working correctly.

Let’s address more details.

SSL Padlock Sign-in Web Browsers – Certificate Authority

Web browsers, such as Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Opera, show SSL Padlock signs for loaded pages. Users can see the Padlock symbol at the left of the URL address bar.

Here, the SSL Padlock sign shows a site’s SSL has been installed, configured, and managed correctly – as shown in the screenshot below.

Check the Site URL in WordPress Settings

Let’s learn how to check WordPress SSL using the WordPress dashboard.

Once you’ve created a WordPress site, the WordPress Dashboard Settings will help you understand if SSL has been set up correctly. If it is not everything, the Settings help users see positive clues.

For example, let’s address details on the Settings page in the WordPress dashboard.

As seen in the screenshot below, the URL structure shows if the links are configured with SSL. You should note if the site’s URL starts with a secured protocol like HTTPs.

So, in this scenario, the WordPress dashboard clears users’ minds about SSL installation. In this case, the clue showing the site’s URL with secured protocol is a sign of SSL installation, period.

Check Redirects to confirm SSL Installation

When checking a WordPress site’s SSL, specific evidence shows if the site’s SSL has been installed successfully.

For example, let’s take an example of Redirects in WordPress.

Unlike a site with no SSL installation, a site with SSL installation has proper redirects.

Here, a redirect is a Browser action that sends users from one page to another. Let’s explain in more detail.

For example, a user accessing Page (A) sees a new page (B). In this scenario, the browser automatically sends users to Page (B) once they try to access Page (A). In WordPress, such a scenario is called Redirects, which is permanently configured manually or automatically.

Now – let’s come back to the point.

Once a site’s SSL is correctly set up, proper redirects are automatically configured in WordPress. You can usually find free SSL certificate providers online, such as Let’s Encrypt.

So, one of the signs a site’s SSL is in place is to check if a site’s link structure implements proper redirects. Period.

In this regard, let’s learn how to check link redirects in WordPress.

The following manners help users check WordPress redirects without learning or going through complex maneuvers.

• Manual, if you know how to check for Client-Server communication. In this case, users can use Web Proxy Tools, such as Burp Suite.
• Online Tools, often called “Redirect Checkers”, help users check if a site’s links redirect users to new locations.

So, using a Proxy like Burp Suite is Technical and requires extensive expertise. Let’s learn how to check WordPress redirects with Online Tools. Free.

Use Online Redirects Checking Tools, and enter your site’s various link structures – such as with “www” or without it. On the next page, as shown in the screenshot below – the Tool indicates if your site’s URLs are redirecting correctly.

As shown in the screenshot above, you should note that “your site’s different link structure should redirect users to one preferred URL, such as one without www”.

Check Google SERPs for SSL URLs

Did you know the Google SERPs show if your site’s SSL has been installed correctly?

Let’s explain in more detail.

Note: Data on Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) provide evidence of SSL installation. Technical evidence may require extensive research.

Let’s proceed.

Search for a Topic your site is ranking for on Google SERPs. If you don’t know how to find one, use SEO Tools, such as Ubersuggest.

Once Google shows your site for a Topic, notice if your site’s URLs are shown with HTTPs. Here, your site’s preferred URL on SERPs is SSL-secured, as is HTTPs.

So, the HTTPs secured preferred URL on SERPs shows that your site’s SSL has been configured, redirected, and managed correctly.

To find more information, Google’s SITE operator helps users find a site’s indexed pages. Let’s learn how to use the Google SITE operator.

Here, the search query site:domainwebsite.com lists indexed pages. One by one, you can see if any of the site’s pages are indexed with an in-secured URL structure – such as one without HTTPs.

In this manner, users can confirm if a site’s SSL is configured with positive evidence on public spots, such as Google’s search pages.

Note: In most cases, the URLs in the following Three spots match.

1. URL structure is shown on Google SERPs
2. The URL version set in Google Search Console and Analytics
3. The site’s URL you can see in the WordPress dashboard, on the Settings page

If, for example, the URL versions don’t match, you can dig deeper to find out if your site’s SSL is adequately configured in WordPress.

Related Reading: How to fix the Error: Website uses an Unsupported Protocol

Check SSL details in the Web Hosting account

A WordPress site has Two central inventories.

1. Hosting account
2. Domain name’s characteristics

Note: The Hosting provider account shows SSL details, such as configuration, error messages, renewal alerts, and expiry dates. Similarly, a Domain’s data lets users find if SSL has been configured correctly.

So, for the above measures – let’s learn how to use data available in the Hosting infrastructure.

There are 02 places inside the Hosting account – cPanel options and Home Feed.

Let’s explain the details in Namecheap. You can dig deeper using particular Hosting platforms.

The Namecheap’s Home Feed shows an overview of registered domains. As shown in the screenshot below, pointing to a domain instance shows relevant information, such as SSL expiration date, hosting renewals, and specific dates.

To this line, you should know how to check a Domain’s data in the Hosting account. Let’s learn how to use cPanel options.

Inside Hosting’s cPanel area, you can find a place to get SSL certificates. Here, you can see how many slots are used for various Domains.

So, in this manner – users can verify if a specific domain’s SSL has been used, installed, configured, and managed properly.

SSL Expiry Date

SSL’s expiration date shows that your site already runs with a working SSL certificate. Users count expiry dates as positive evidence of SSL installation.

There are several ways to check a site’s SSL expiry. In the above lines, we described some of those manners, too. However, let’s address the subject in more detail.

Use This Tool to check if your site’s SSL is correctly in place. The screenshot below shows that the following Tool helps users see their site’s SSL expiry.

The Tool can also help users set email reminders to receive once your site’s SSL expires. The automated tools allow users to determine if a site’s SSL works quickly.

Note: Unlike other Tools, the above Tool helps users quickly find SSL expiry. The manual routines may seem overwhelming if you want to manually see SSL’s expiry date(s).

Ask your site’s Web Hosting Support Channel

To check if WordPress SSL is correctly set, traditional manners help users quickly figure things out. Let’s describe an example.

Contact your site’s Hosting support representatives and ask Them if your site’s SSL is working correctly. Hosting support channels provides experts with proper infrastructure. Their help covers possible consequences, SSL gaps, and verification without users paying extra.

The process of contacting the Hosting Support Channel is simple.

Once logged into your Hosting account, initiate a live chat session. In most cases, you should’ve logged into the Hosting area before being ready for a chat session.

After the hosting representatives have verified their identity, support agents can quickly check the backend infrastructure to see if your site’s SSL is correctly in place. If the person talking to you is not authorized, less Technical, or an expert on SSL, forwarding the chat session to experts would help.

Use WordPress Plugins to confirm SSL instances in WordPress

Users who lack expertise in SSL can use WordPress plugins. Automated Plugins help users quickly figure out SSL issues.

Let’s address more details.

In WordPress Dashboard, installing a plugin takes a few moments. Let’s explain further steps.

Use the Add New Plugin to install a new instance in the WordPress dashboard. Once you see the search bar, type “really simple SSL” and press Enter.

You need to install the first plugin that appears. Let’s move forward, as shown in the screenshot below.

Further processing is straightforward and takes a few moments to determine whether your site’s SSL is correctly installed.

The “Really Simple SSL” home feed helps users take the next step. Allow permissions to proceed.

Note: If you don’t see the plugin’s Home Feed, access the Settings -> SSL & Security page in the WordPress Dashboard.

Once accessed, you can see the following prompt on the screen.

The plugin’s automated tests confirm that your site’s SSL has been detected and is ready to proceed. If you don’t know how to set SSL manually, choose an option to proceed.

The “Really Simple SSL” helps users even more. Users can see redirect settings, such as redirects from HTTP to HTTPs. It also lets users see warning alerts if a WordPress site has mixed content issues. Mixed content issues occur when a site’s pages load with protocols like HTTP and HTTPs.

SSL-related Warnings in Web Browsers

Web browsers like Firefox and Chrome show relevant alerts if a WordPress site has no SSL setup. For example, submitting sensitive information may trigger warnings. In this scenario, ordering a product, submitting a Form, or logging In or Out actions fall under sensitive actions.

Here is a screenshot of the warning message shown on the web browser. The message helps users understand the consequences of communicating sensitive information on insecure protocols, such as sites without SSL.

In this regard, WordPress sites showing warning screens indicate that no SSL installation has been set up yet. Similarly, they indicate SSL misconfigurations, missing redirects, incorrect preferred URL set, or misconfigured database Site Address.

Note: Dealing with SSL issues, or ones due to SSL configuration, is a separate world. The above problems could indicate a WordPress website with no proper SSL setup.

Web Browsers have strange behavior if SSL is not configured properly

If a site has SSL issues, you can see it misbehaves while performing everyday Tasks.

Let’s consider an example.

Some sites are custom-built with manual precautions for security. In this case, if the SSL setup is missing, form submission is entirely blocked. Period.

On the other hand, most WordPress sites use Forms, even if there are SSL issues. The difference between various applications indicates that SSL is a severe matter for security, sensitive information, and SEO rankings.

Similarly, if you use specific plugins That deal with SSL, your site may face more problems. For example, see if installing a particular plugin creates conflicts, such as redirect conflicts.

If yes, you’re better off changing recent changes in WordPress or proceeding to keep the change(s). Harsh.

Use a Web Proxy for Traffic Interception (Analyze Server Response Headers)

Users can validate with Web Proxies if a site works with proper SSL certificates (s). Using proxy Tools to intercept Client-Server communication, users can confirm to check WordPress SSL certificate(s). An example of a web proxy Tool is Burp Suite.

Testing a site’s SSL with a web proxy is extremely Technical. In typical scenarios, it requires developers’ assistance.

When a Web Proxy intercepts Client-Server communication, the browser header indicates whether pages are loaded with secure or insecure protocols. This helps users determine if the server accepts, denies, or communicates on protocols like HTTP and HTTPS. Thus, the said maneuver helps users check WordPress SSL.

Note: Using web proxy requires expertise. You must learn to capture, intercept, and interpret server Headers to find answers.

Note 2: While the said routine is not recommended for SSL Testing, developers can assess with web proxy Tools if a site’s SSL is appropriately set up.

Hire WordPress Specialists for SSL confirmation

Let’s talk about hiring a WordPress support team for SSL issues.

We provide WordPress maintenance, error removal, live sessions, and custom plans. We can also help you fix SSL issues in WordPress.

WordPress specialists provide one-time support plans, monthly routines, or live sessions to fix site issues. You must try our services to learn how to treat SSL issues. Users can quickly fix SSL errors without learning to code or undergo complex maneuvers.

Let’s address more details.

Here is a list of requirements if you’re looking for WordPress services to fix SSL problems.

• A Google search can return proposals, companies, or developers to help you check, fix, and manage WordPress SSL.
• Give a try to bidding websites where Freelancers can help owners find, fix, and manage WordPress SSL problems for a small Fee.
• Once you have found an ideal candidate, provide a WordPress login to proceed. You can also create one-time login users, automatically deleted once a specific time frame ends.
• Validate the SSL fix, check your site for errors, confirm the current SSL status from the Hosting agents, and proceed accordingly.
• Give green signals to WordPress specialists – you’re good to go.

Consider our custom plans if you’d like to proceed with our services.

Platform-Specific STEPS to check SSL Certificate(s) in WordPress

Users who prefer buying hosting and domains in one place can avail themselves of such features.

The company can help users quickly spot SSL/TLS issues. Unlike manually spotting SSL errors, such as on Namecheap, custom platforms have a dashboard to help users gather Information in one place.

If you need clarification, ask your site’s Hosting company. Their support teams include SSL specialists, who can install and verify SSL certificates from sales departments.

Check Hosting cPanel File Manager for SSL related Files

On your web server, in the WordPress Hosting File Manager, you can find SSL-specific directories to determine whether SSL installation is standard.

For example, the directories under Public_HTML in cPanel can help users see SSL directories. Dig deeper to see SSL files, cert entries, and other instances with .pem, .der, or .pfx extensions.

Moreover, web hosting cPanel includes an SSL option to see available, installed, or renewed SSL certificates. Let’s explain more in detail.

In Namecheap, the cPanel option Namecheap SSL provides information on SSL certificates. Once opened, users can see the following attributes.

• Installed SSL certificates for all Domains or Wildcard SSL Certificates, which cover a main domain and any sub-domains
• Ready to Install SSL certificates
• Active/Inactive SSL certificates

Examine the following screenshot to see an example of SSL files on the server.

Users can quickly find, check, and handle SSL certificate files using Namecheap SSL. For other Hosting environments, such as Siteground, Bluehost, or WPX, consult relevant hosting plan providers.

Professional Tips

• SSL is a Technical domain. If you need to learn how to handle SSL issues, don’t proceed to change anything. Please consult a WordPress support team or first check SSL tutorials, FAQs, or a step-by-step guide.
• Remember that renewing a Domain doesn’t renew, auto-renew, or auto-install SSL certificates. After you’ve renewed Hosting assets, such as Domain Names, you’ll need to check for SSL installations manually.
• Purchasing a new SSL certificate (or Let’s Encrypt SSL or Cloudflare SSL) doesn’t automatically install it. As discussed above, users must use a manual road map to look for opportunities, such as options under the Hosting cPanel area, like Namecheap or GoDaddy SSL.
• Use multiple Online Tools for SSL checking. Sometimes, results returned from one Tool may seem different from others. Keep in mind that the purpose of Tools is to avoid manual routines and confirm SSL status using various checkers.
• If you change the WordPress Permalinks structure, you must set, validate, or confirm the SSL status again and ensure you change HTTP URLs to HTTPS. If you’re not careful, these maneuvers may create problems. Similarly, changing the WordPress database also creates problems; be aware of possible consequences.
• After you’ve migrated a WordPress website, ensure you’ve checked, managed, and validated SSL installation. Please learn how to manually migrate a WordPress website from one hosting site to another or use automated procedures.

Over to You

WordPress check SSL Certificate

So, how do you check WordPress SSL certificate(s)? Let’s summarize the answers.

In this resource, you learned how to check WordPress SSL certificate(s) for improved WordPress security. Considering the beginner’s perspective, we learned how to check for SSL certificates without learning or going through complex maneuvers.

If you need to learn how to proceed, hire WordPress support team specialists. A single wrong turn can take whole sites down.

Moreover, use Online Tools or the Really Simple SSL plugin to learn how to proceed. The Tools help users quickly find SSL status, errors, or expiry dates.

Consult our specialists for more information on SSL error handling. Let’s explore and proceed to unlock more opportunities with one-time support plans, live sessions, or custom plans.