Implementing Free SSL on Your Website Using Cloudflare: A Step-by-Step Guide

In today’s digital world, SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is crucial for improving search engine rankings and ensuring website security. If you haven’t implemented SSL yet, you’re missing out. The good news is that implementing SSL has become easier, thanks to services like Cloudflare and Let’s Encrypt, which offer free SSL certificates. In this comprehensive guide, we will walk you through the step-by-step process of implementing free SSL on your website using Cloudflare.

Step 1: Add Your Website to Cloudflare

To begin, sign up for a Cloudflare account and add your website to their platform. Cloudflare offers free and paid versions, but for this guide, the free version will suffice. Follow these simple steps to configure Cloudflare:

1. Sign up for a Cloudflare account.
2. Add your website to Cloudflare by entering your domain name and following the instructions on the screen.
3. Configure your DNS settings as directed by Cloudflare.

Step 2: Configure Cloudflare SSL Feature

After adding your website to Cloudflare, it’s time to configure the SSL settings. Follow these steps:

1. Go to your site dashboard on Cloudflare and select the “Crypto” tab.
2. Change the SSL settings to “Flexible” to enable SSL for your website.
3. Scroll down and enable “Automatic HTTPS Rewrites” to automatically redirect all HTTP requests to HTTPS.
4. Enable the “Always Use HTTPS” option to enforce the use of HTTPS on your website.

Step 3: Configure Cloudflare Page Rules

To redirect all HTTP traffic to HTTPS, it’s recommended to use both a plugin and Cloudflare page rules for added security. Follow these steps to set up Cloudflare page rules:

1. Click on the “Page Rules” tab at the top of the page.
2. Enter your domain with “/” at the end and configure it to use HTTPS. Do this for both “http://domain.com/” and “https://domain.com/*”.

By following the above settings, you’re halfway done with implementing free SSL on your website.

Step 4: Utilize the Better Search and Replace Plugin

To update all the old HTTP links on your website with the new HTTPS links, you can use the Better Search and Replace plugin. Follow these steps to make it work:

1. Before performing any operations, create a complete backup of your WordPress database using a reliable backup plugin.
2. Download and install the Better Search and Replace plugin.
3. In your WordPress dashboard, go to “Tools” -> “Better Search and Replace”.
4. In the search field, enter your old domain name without HTTPS and replace it with the new HTTPS domain.
5. In the first run, select “Run as dry run” to preview the changes without making permanent modifications.
6. Once you’re certain, uncheck “Run as dry run” and click on “Run Search/Replace” to update the database tables.

With this plugin, your WordPress database tables will be updated, replacing all the old HTTP links with the new HTTPS links.

Step 5: Verify the SSL Configuration

To ensure that the SSL configuration is properly set up on your website, use a reliable SSL verification tool. Follow these steps:

1. Visit a trusted SSL verification tool page.
2. Enter your domain name and let the tool scan your website and SSL certificate.
3. Within seconds, the tool will generate a detailed report confirming your SSL configuration.

Step 6: Update the Site URL on Google Search Console and Google Analytics

Finally, update the website URL on both Google Search Console and Google Analytics to reflect the new HTTPS version of your website. This ensures that your website is properly indexed and tracked by search engines and analytics tools.

Congratulations! You have successfully implemented free SSL on your website, enhancing its security and search engine ranking. If you have any questions or need further assistance, feel free to ask in the comments section below. Check out the articles below for more helpful tutorials:

• A Comprehensive Guide to Website Security Best Practices: How to Secure Your Website
• The Importance of HTTPS for Your Website: Why Making the Switch Is Essential
• A Complete Guide for Beginners: Choosing the Right SSL Certificate for Your Website