HostGator’s SSL Free is a complimentary SSL certificate.

The SSL certificate plays a crucial role in safeguarding the data shared between a website and its users. Its significance has grown, particularly since Google now views it as a ranking signal. Furthermore, initiatives like Let’s Encrypt offer free SSL certificates, contributing to the widespread adoption of this security measure.

HostGator, a leading website hosting provider in Brazil, introduced a new free SSL option called SSL Free, meeting the anticipation of both the market and its customers.

The SSL Free certificate, provided by Comodo, can be used by clients with various hosting plans for all domains included in the plan. For the Plus plan, in addition to SSL Free, clients can also receive a Private SSL certificate with similar encryption but different renewal terms and warranty coverage in case of encryption failure. Around 80% of the company’s customers are eligible for SSL Free installation.

What does HostGator SSL Free refer to?

HostGator’s SSL Free is a complimentary SSL certificate that enhances security by encrypting information shared between a website and its users, ensuring that intercepted data remains indecipherable.

A site employing SSL encryption can be identified by the green lock icon in the browser’s address bar and the presence of HTTPS in the URL. Google Chrome shows the label “safe” for encrypted pages and warns of “unsafe” sites lacking SSL certificates.

What sets HostGator SSL certificates apart from others?

SSL Free, although possessing similar traits to the primary certificates in use, differs from other certificates provided by the company. Explore these distinctions further.

The SSL Free service validates the domain and confirms that the certificate is issued by the site administrator. The installation and renewal are both automated, happening every 3 months for free.

SSL Private certifies the domain, verifies the certificate’s issuance by the site admin, and offers a Comodo security seal. The certificate includes a $10,000 guarantee against encryption breach, with automatic installation and renewal for an annual fee of R$ 110.

SSL Business not only verifies the domain but also confirms the organization owning the certificate, displaying details like the entity’s name, city, state, and country. This type of certificate is ideal for environments processing credit card transactions and includes a warranty of up to $10,000 in cases of encryption breaches. Installation and renewal are done manually by the HostGator support team, and the annual cost is R $300.

SSL Wildcard is similar to Private SSL but allows the use of a single certificate for all subdomains under the main domain, which is a new feature introduced by the company.

Compare the key features of the certificates provided by HostGator.

Customers can choose to use an external certificate with their HostGator hosting for an additional fee of R$ 60 per certificate, in addition to those provided by the company. This service can be requested through the customer area.

Installing HostGator SSL for free – Instructions

To set up the SSL Free certificate, a hosting plan with Hostgator is required. This includes various hosting plans like P, M, Turbo, Plus, and Resale, all of which offer free SSL installation. Resale plans allow both the reseller account and its customers to benefit from this free SSL installation.

SSL Free can be installed on all domains included in the hosting plan, even if there are multiple domains on the same plan. This means there is no need to buy certificates from other categories offered by HostGator.

Once the customer fulfills the requirements mentioned, they can install the certificate themselves in the client area on financial.hostgator.com.br.

Once you are in the panel, choose the hosting plan you’ve purchased, then click on “Request SSL” in the new window. You’ll see a table with various SSL options. Look for the Free SSL option and click on the “Request” button. Next, enter the domain where the Free SSL will be installed (e.g., mysite.com) and fill out the company information form.

The installation process is automatic, so no action is required after submitting the form unless you want to wait for the process to finish, which could take a few minutes. Once the installation is complete, an email will be sent to the administrator account confirming that the certificate is ready.

The full installation guide is available on the HostGator website.

After installing the Free SSL certificate, here are the steps to follow.

After installing the certificate, you can access your domain securely by adding HTTPS to your URL. If configured correctly, a green lock will appear next to the page address in the browser’s navigation bar.

The following step involves making sure that all visitors to your website are directed to the secure version to navigate. This can be achieved by implementing a redirect rule that enforces loading pages using the secure version. It is also important to address any files on the site that are still being loaded through the unsafe version (HTTP).

The process of making these adjustments may differ based on the platform being used. It is crucial to guarantee that only the HTTPS version is utilized for browsing the website to prevent potential issues with search engine rankings that can arise from having the same content accessible through both HTTP and HTTPS addresses.

If you have a WordPress website, refer to this guide on setting up SSL to ensure proper configuration. Feel free to ask any questions by leaving a comment.

HostGator started providing free SSL certificates for all domains in any hosting plan in July 2018, whereas previously it was only free for one domain per plan.

Published on 11/10/2017 and revised on 02/11/2019.

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