How to Install SSL certificate

SSL certificates have become very important these days. Google has cracked down on websites that are not secured with an SSL. The search engine company is now displaying website insecure messaging around websites that do not have SSL certificates installed.

What is an SSL, you may wonder? It stands for Secure Socket Layer and it basically protects all the data on the website by encrypting it. Encrypting website data prevents hackers from stealing that data and using it for stolen identity theft and other nefarious activities.

So we know they’re important, now how to install SSL certificate? Well that’s a great question, and it’s all depends on a few factors. First of all, where are the domain and the hosting located for this website? If they’re both in the same account, for example if the domain registration and the hosting for the website is inside GoDaddy, then SSL installation is rather easy.

If the domain is registered in one account, such as NameCheap and the hosting is somewhere else like HostGator, then the SSL will be much more challenging to install.

It also depends on the type of hosting. Some will be easier to do and others will be a little bit more challenging. One of the most common types of hosting is cPanel, so I will share with you how to set up an SSL on cPanel hosting.

The very first step is to get a CSR with stands for Certificate Signing Request. You get this by going into the cPanel, and going under security and then ssl’s. Click on generate new CSR and put in the information related to the business.

Make sure to fill this information out correctly and put accurate business information in that is up to date. Submit that and you’ll get a CSR code that needs to be put in on the activated SSL (located in the SSL activation area). Paste in the code and hit submit, this process will take a little while. Once it is approved you will get a notice.

After the certificate is active, you need to download the certificate. This will come in a zip file. Unzip this and separate the two files that are in there, one will end in the extension “.CRT”

This is the actual certificate. Now we need to go back into the cPanel hosting under Security > ssl’s, then go to upload a new certificate. We are going to upload the certificate here so choose the button that says select a file from your computer and upload that .CRT file. Hit submit.

And now just wait and within around an hour to 24 hours your certificate will be issued and be live on the site. Congratulations!

Having a hard time figuring out how to install SSL certificate? We would love to help you! Give us a call at 406-208-8733

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Written by: Jophiel Silvestrone

Jophiel Silvestrone has written 326 posts in the Tech Blog.

Jophiel grew up on a ranch in Paradise Valley, Montana near Chico Hot Springs. Working on the ranch instilled work ethic and self motivation. Filled with this drive, Jophiel started mowing the local school's yards twice a month throughout the summers, at the age of 12. He moved to Billings in 2004, where he has been deeply involved in the local business community ever since. A serial entrepreneur, Jophiel has ran multiple businesses in our local community. The first business, a janitorial and carpet cleaning company, founded in 2005, has employed over 50 locals. Moving on to the media industry, Jophiel and several partners founded Green Directory Montana in the spring of 2007. Green Directory's sustainability ranking software awarded points based on sustainable or "green" actions. These points counted towards a business's total "Green Score," which in turn ranked them against other businesses in their category and throughout the entire site. It also featured a limited edition print version distributed annually. A business acquisition allowed Jophiel to focus on new projects, and a few close business colleagues and Jophiel started Rocky Mountain Mr. & Ms. Magazine, a lifestyle publication for men and women in the Magic City. After a year and a half at the helm of RM3 Magazine, the business was purchased. He now runs a web development company SkyPoint Studios and fathers his son Jaoquin, who plays football, basketball, soccer, and is learning snowboarding from his dad. Recently, has expanded to locations in Havasu, Arizona & Vegas. SkyPoint Studios is a market leader in both Billings & Havasu and Jophiel is working on building that same level of market dominance in Vegas. Specialties: Extensive experience in online and offline business. Especially savvy at WordPress, and operate several sites, one example is the blog: skypointwebdesignbillingsmontana.com/tech-blog. Check out skypointwebdesignbillingsmontana.com for the latest projects from SkyPoint Studios.