My site is appearing as unsecure. What should I do?

It looks like you don't have a security certificate applied correctly. Browsers mark sites without them as "insecure".

An SSL certificate is an essential part of any site that accepts personal information about its users. That information will not be secure without an SSL Certificate. Oftentimes, individuals and organizations will forgo attaining the SSL cert. due to cost but this leaves your site's users' information vulnerable to being electronically intercepted.

SSL (or Secure Sockets Layer) Certificates are data files that bind a domain name, server name, or hostname to an organizational identity and location. It is installed on a web server (like GoDaddy or Hostgator.com), and it activates the padlock and “https” protocol. This allows for a secure connections from a web server to a browser. It is especially important that an SSL is used to secure sites with credit card transactions and data transfers but, in truth, they should be used on any site that accepts/stores any kind of info about it's users, even usernames/passwords or questionnaire responses. It's a pretty safe bet that if your users are giving any information whatsoever to your site (name, address, phone number, email address), they're going to want it to be secure and private; not accessible by strangers on the web.

What to do if my Wordpress website appears as insecure

If you know that you have an SSL, but it's not applying correctly and your site is still appearing unsecure, try installing the Really Simple SSL plugin. This free plugin can often resolve issues with your SSL just by installing it.

If installing the above plugin doesn't work, you'll want to contact your hosting provider or your developer in order to troubleshoot the issue.

If you do not have an SSL Certificate in the first place, contact your hosting provider directly in order to set one up.

At Elevation, we provide Wordpress hosting plans that include SSL Certificates. If you are interested in hosting with us or if you have further questions, feel free to reach out to our Ticket Form!