When using a WordPress plugin to add security measures to your website Simple SSL secure, one of the most important questions you can ask yourself is whether the plugin itself is secure.
So, can you trust Really Simple SSL and is it a reliable plugin?
The simple answer is yes!
Really Simple SSL is backed by a large team of developers who have been using the plugin for over 5 years.
The plugin is built based on WordPress best practices. Additionally, norway phone number library they have deliberately kept the plugin’s features to a minimum to make it lightweight.
This means you’ll get all the features you absolutely need without any bloated code. At the same time, the Really Simple SSL plugin will never slow down your website.
Another great way to tell if a plugin is trustworthy is to check the date it was last updated . You can find this information on the plugin’s page in the WordPress repository.
This will show you whether the developers are maintaining the plugin to ensure it is compatible and secure.
You can also see other trust signals, such as the number of active users and compatibility with WordPress and PHP versions.
It has over 5 million installs with thousands of 5-star reviews, 8 best substack alternatives for creating paid newsletters which tells us that it is a trustworthy plugin.
How does Really Simple SSL work?
Staying true to its name, the plugin makes installing an SSL certificate on your website really simple!
When you install the plugin, it will first check to see if an SSL certificate already exists. If your web host has issued an SSL certificate but it has not been installed, the plugin will install it for you. This process may vary depending on your web hosting provider. If it cannot install automatically, it will help you with instructions.
If your website does not have an SSL certificate, it will prompt you to activate a free SSL certificate.
Once you do this, the plugin will install a free SSL certificate from Let’s Encrypt. It will also fix most of the issues that occur when you install a new SSL certificate. For example, it will change your website’s URL and home URL from HTTP to HTTPs.
It will also redirect all incoming requests (users trying to access your website) to the HTTPs version of your website.
The Really Simple SSL plugin also performs some technical tasks, such as securely setting cookies with PHP, fixing insecure or mixed content, and handling reverse proxy/load balancer.
If these words don’t make sense, then you absolutely need Really Simple SSL. The plugin performs these complex tasks behind the scenes so you don’t have to worry about them.
Below, we will show you how to use the Really Simple SSL plugin on your WordPress website.
How to Install and Use Really Simple SSL secure
Really Simple SSL is available for free in the WordPress plugin repository. You can also purchase the Really Simple SSL Pro plugin , american samoa business directory which gives you access to more features and premium support. We’ll discuss the difference between the free and paid versions in the next section.
Now, we’ll show you how to use the Really Simple SSL plugin to install an SSL certificate on your website. If you already have an SSL certificate installed, you can still use this plugin to fix any issues your website is facing, such as mixed content.
First, to install the plugin on your website, from your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins » Add New . Then, search for “Really Simple SSL” and click the Install Now button .
Once the plugin is installed, you’ll need to activate it. You’ll then be redirected to your WordPress dashboard, where you’ll see a prompt like this:
When you click the Activate Simple SSL secure
button , Really Simple SSL will run all the processes in the background to install SSL on your website. This only takes a few seconds and you don’t have to do anything.
Once complete, your site should have a padlock in the address bar, indicating that the site is secure.
Back in your WordPress dashboard, you’ll see a list of SSL tasks. These provide more information on how to change settings that are outside the scope of the plugin.
You’ll find instructions on how to change your settings in Google Search Console so that the search engine only uses the HTTPs version of your site. This will ensure that you’re getting accurate data and insights. For simplified instructions, you can follow our guide How to fix Google WebMasters after installing SSL .
The plugin then also provides instructions to add security measures and enable security headers to improve the security of your website.
If you scroll down, you’ll see more options to enable or disable settings on your site. These options are:
- Mixed Content Fixer
- Enable WordPress 301 Redirect
- Enable 301 .htaccess redirect
- Stop editing the .htaccess file
- Trigger the mixed content fixer with a different method
- Ignore all SSL warnings really simple
- Enable high contrast mode
If you’re unsure about these settings, it’s best to leave them at their default settings. If you’d like to explore these settings and learn more about them, you’ll find tips and tricks on the right side of the screen.
You can also learn more about it in these WPBeginner guides:
- Beginner’s Guide on How to Create 301 Redirects in WordPress (Step by Step)
- .htaccess tricks for WordPress
And that’s it. You have successfully installed and used Really Simple SSL.
All of this can be done with the free plugin. But Really Simple SSL also offers a pro version. So what’s the difference between the two? Below, we’ll compare the free and paid versions.
