SiteGround has launched a new tool that enables you to migrate your WordPress installation to HTTPS with a single click. It takes care of SSL, redirects and your WordPress configuration. New WordPress installations now come with HTTPS as standard.
SiteGround has been pushing for SSL usage for almost exactly a year now. In February 2016, SiteGround implemented Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates on all Shared Hosting plans, and later Cloud and Dedicated servers too. This allows their customers to install SSL certificates with just a few clicks, and we went into some detail, including how easy it made installation here.
While the Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate installation made installing SSL easy, this new tool extends on this process by configuring your WordPress installation and implementing all necessary redirects.
Furthermore, all new WordPress installations completed by their Softaculous installer, or via their easy setup wizard now have a Let’s Encrypt certificate installed by default and are configured to use HTTPS. If you do not require HTTPS, then switching back can be done with a single click.
Furthermore, you can configure HTTPS and the Let’s Encrypt certificate from within your WordPress dashboard via their SuperCacher plugin, which has now been renamed to SG Optimizer. The following screenshot demonstrates how to do this:
If you are already a SiteGround customer, the latest version of your SuperCacher, or SG Optimize plugin will have the new configuration setting.
If you are not a SiteGround customer, you can easily sign up with a free migration of your WordPress installation, after which you will find the new plugin installed, and the option to convert to HTTPS within your WordPress administration dashboard.
You can currently get 60 percent off your first invoice by signing up with our exclusive deal here.
Why HTTPS is becoming essential for your website
There are some significant benefits for converting to HTTPS, but it is starting to become even more important. Here is a summary of what you need to know:
- Google has announced in August 2016 that HTTPS will be a Google Ranking Factor for search results standings. Latest trends indicate Google has since increased its impact.
- The new HTTP/2 protocol only works with websites that implement HTTPS. HTTP/2 significantly increases the loading speed of your website, and you can read more about the difference, including a demo of the speeds here. SiteGround is one of the few places that has implemented HTTP/2 by default.
- Google Chrome browser now indicates more obviously non-HTTPS websites as insecure:
- Matt Mullenweg, the founder of WordPress, has announced in December 2016 that some of the new WordPress features released in 2017 will be available only for websites using HTTPS. Initially, WordPress will be targeting features such as API authentication, but it is likely other features will follow.
Of course, there are a couple of additional tasks you may wish to undertake after migrating to HTTPS, such as adding the new website version to the Search Console.