SSL Certificates and HTTPS for Your Website
You know that little padlock icon next to a website address in your browser? That padlock means the site is using an SSL certificate to encrypt everything between your visitors and your server. Without it, anyone on the same network could potentially intercept passwords, form submissions, and personal data sent to your site. Here is the difference your visitors actually see:- With SSL (HTTPS): A padlock icon appears in the address bar, the URL starts with
https://, and browsers confirm the connection is secure. Your visitors feel confident browsing, filling out forms, and making purchases. - Without SSL (HTTP): Browsers display a bold “Not Secure” warning right next to your domain name. In Chrome, clicking that warning tells your visitor that anything they send to your site could be visible to others. Most people will leave immediately.
Difficulty
Beginner
Time
3 Minutes
Why HTTPS Matters
Enabling HTTPS on your website is no longer optional. Here is why it is essential for every website:Visitor Trust
Browsers display a padlock icon for HTTPS sites and show “Not Secure” warnings for HTTP sites. Visitors are far more likely to trust and stay on a secure website. Imagine a customer landing on your online store and seeing “Not Secure” before they even browse your products. That sale is gone.
Data Protection
HTTPS encrypts all data transmitted between your server and your visitors. This protects login credentials, form submissions, and personal information from being intercepted on public Wi-Fi networks, coffee shops, airports, and everywhere else.
SEO Rankings
Search engines like Google use HTTPS as a ranking signal. Websites with SSL certificates tend to rank higher in search results compared to insecure HTTP sites. Google has been penalizing HTTP-only sites since 2018.
Compliance
Many regulations and payment processors require HTTPS. If you accept payments or collect personal data, SSL is a requirement to stay compliant with PCI DSS, GDPR, and similar standards.
Accessing Security Settings
All SSL and HTTPS settings are managed from the Security tab within your website’s control panel.Log In to the Control Panel
Open your browser and go to web.freakhosting.com. Log in with your credentials to access the Web Hosting Control Panel dashboard.
Select Your Website
From the dashboard or website list, click on the website you want to manage SSL certificates for.
The Security tab is only visible when you are viewing an individual website. Make sure you have selected a website first before looking for the tab in the navigation.
SSL Certificates Overview
The Security page displays the message “An SSL certificate ensures a safe connection between you and your site visitors” along with an Install custom SSL button and a table listing all certificates for your website. Each row in the table shows:| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Status | A green Active badge means the certificate is valid and protecting your visitors right now. A red Expired badge means the certificate has passed its expiry date and browsers are actively warning your visitors away. |
| Domain | The domain name the SSL certificate covers (for example, yourbusiness.com or www.yourbusiness.com). |
| Certificate | The certificate authority that issued it. For free certificates this shows Let’s Encrypt. Custom certificates show the issuing authority name (such as DigiCert or Sectigo). |
| Force HTTPS | A toggle switch that controls whether all HTTP traffic is automatically redirected to HTTPS for that domain. |
| Expiry Date | The date when the certificate expires (shown in DD/MM/YYYY format, for example 06/07/2024). |
Understanding Status Badges
The status badges on the Security tab tell you at a glance whether your certificates are working or need attention.Active (Green Badge)
Everything is working perfectly. Your certificate is valid, properly installed, and actively encrypting connections. Visitors see the padlock icon and can browse your site with confidence. No action needed — just keep your DNS pointed at FREAKHOSTING so automatic renewals keep working.
Expired (Red Badge)
This needs your immediate attention. An expired certificate means browsers are showing your visitors a full-page warning that says something like “Your connection is not private” with a big red triangle. Most visitors will hit the back button and never return.
- For Let’s Encrypt certificates: The automatic renewal likely failed because your DNS records changed or the domain is no longer pointing to FREAKHOSTING. Verify your nameservers are correct, wait a few hours, and the system will re-issue the certificate automatically. If it does not resolve within 24 hours, contact our support team.
- For custom certificates: You need to renew with your certificate authority and reinstall the new certificate. See our custom SSL guide for step-by-step instructions.
Free Let’s Encrypt SSL
FREAKHOSTING automatically provisions a free SSL certificate from Let’s Encrypt for every website and domain you add to your hosting account. You do not need to purchase, request, or manually install anything. Here is how the automatic SSL provisioning works:Add a Domain
When you add a new domain or subdomain to your website in the control panel, the system detects the new domain automatically.
DNS Verification
The system verifies that your domain’s DNS records are correctly pointed to the FREAKHOSTING nameservers. This step is required for Let’s Encrypt to issue a certificate.
Certificate Issued
Once DNS is verified, a Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate is automatically generated and installed for your domain. This usually happens within a few minutes.
Force HTTPS
The Force HTTPS toggle is one of the most important settings on the Security tab. When you enable it, anyone who visits the plain HTTP version of your site gets automatically redirected to the secure HTTPS version. Here is a real example: Say your business website isyourbusiness.com. Without Force HTTPS, someone typing http://yourbusiness.com in their browser would land on an unencrypted page with a “Not Secure” warning. With Force HTTPS enabled, that same visitor is silently and instantly redirected to https://yourbusiness.com where they see the padlock and a fully encrypted connection. They never even see the insecure version.
Find the Force HTTPS Toggle
In the SSL certificates table, locate the row for the domain you want to secure. You will see a Force HTTPS toggle switch in that row.
Renewing SSL Certificates
Automatic Renewal for Let’s Encrypt
Let’s Encrypt certificates are valid for 90 days, but you do not need to worry about manual renewals. FREAKHOSTING automatically renews your Let’s Encrypt certificates before they expire. The renewal process runs in the background without any downtime or action required on your part.Automatic renewal requires that your domain’s DNS records remain pointed to the FREAKHOSTING nameservers. If you change your DNS settings, the renewal may fail and your certificate could expire. If that happens, you will see the status badge change from green Active to red Expired on the Security tab.
Custom Certificate Renewals
If you are using a custom SSL certificate from a third-party certificate authority, you are responsible for renewing it before it expires. The expiry date is clearly shown in the SSL certificates table. For full instructions on installing and renewing custom certificates, as well as troubleshooting common SSL issues, see our dedicated guide:Custom SSL Installation and Troubleshooting
Learn how to install custom SSL certificates, renew third-party certificates, and troubleshoot common SSL issues like mixed content warnings and DNS problems.
Need Extra Help?
If you encounter any issues, our support team is ready to assist:- Live Chat: Quick assistance via our website.
- Support Ticket: Open a Ticket
- Discord: Join our Community
- Email: support@freakhosting.com
Last Updated: March 2026 | Web Hosting Support: SSL certificates and HTTPS made simple.