A Review On Hostgator's Free SSL On All Plans

Hi guys!
Are you aware that HostGator is currently offering FREE SSL on ALL PLANS*, to all of their customers? Well, you might want to bookmark this post as I will talk about why you need SSL and why you need to get started with Hostgator. 

You must have probably heard the newest about SSL and website security. In case you haven't, you have nothing to worry about because I'll give you a background on the update.
Just before we proceed, if you are interested in getting the Hostgator Free SSL, go through here.

In July 2018, Google Chrome made an announcement to site visitors that they need to look out for sites that have Hypertext Transfer Protocol(HTTP), and that these websites would be marked as "not secured" on the chrome browser henceforth it and leaves web visitors at risk if they visit them. Google alerted web users that a website is completely secured only if it has an Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure(HTTPS) connection.

Over the years, Google has tried efforts to make sure websites adopt an encrypted communication protocol. For example, Websites that use Transport Layer Security (TLS) or Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) are apparently given a little boost in search rankings. A symbol to look out for on your chrome browser when you want to know if you are on an encrypted site or not is a "Green padlock icon".  The Chrome browser provides encrypted websites a green padlock icon in the address bar right on the far left of the address bar..

As it is now, if you visit an HTTP we site, a clickable info icon will appear next to the site address that if clicked on, will inform them of why the green padlock is not displayed on the site they are visiting.

Google made this changes in order to ensure safer internet usage for everyone. A bunch of web users have no idea of the difference between secured websites and unsecured websites, or they aren't even aware of the dangers attached to doing things like filling out personal informations, giving credit card information over an insecure connection. With Google placing warning at the top of every HTTP page, users will understand that the HTTP connection shouldn't be trusted.

What Is HTTPS And SSL?

HTTPS (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure) usually appears in the URL when a website is secured by an SSL certificate. The details of the certificate, including the issuing authority and the corporate name of the website owner, can be viewed when you click on the green padlock symbol on the address bar.

What Is SSL?

SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer and it's in fact the standard technology for keeping an internet connection secure and it does safeguard sensitive datas that are being sent between two systems.
The two systems could be a server and a client (for example, an ecommerce website and browser) or it could be server to server (for example, an application that includes personal identifiable information or with payroll information).

A big reason why you need SSL is that It prevents criminals from reading andmodifying any transferred information, including personal details.
It does this by using encryption algorithms to scramble data in transit, and in the process preventing hackers from reading it as it is sent over the connection. This information could include credit card numbers, names and other financial information.

The Google chrome update brought much fear for website owners because as it is now, visitors are pretty much likely to leave your site out of fear that they aren't secured and you might end up not making any sales especially if you run an eCommerce business.

Fret not! I bring you good news. Like I said at the beginning of the post, Hostgator is currently offering currently offering free SSL on all plans to all their customers. So If you don't want to miss out, why don't you just get your free SSL by using my affiliate link..

Enabling the Hostgator free SSL will give your domain an "HTTPS://" prefix, which automatically makes your website secured and will be labeled by Google as "secure" in most web browsers.
This Free SSL will be automatically added to every domain for new and existing cPanel platform customers and it would last for 90 days from the day you issued it and it would be automatically renewed at no cost to you so that your site hosted with HostGator should never be without an SSL.

How Do I Enable My Free SSL?

- If you have a website hosted and pointed to a HostGator package, your SSL should be ready to use and you can advance to the next step to direct your visitors to HTTPS.  However, If your domain name is hosted by another provider, you will need to make sure that an A record has been created for your domain that is associated with your HostGator package through your domain provider's dashboard. Anything other than this, you will be unable to use the Free SSL.

- It is vital to note that the free SSL does not automatically force HTTPS onto the domain but it will actually need to be manually updated. This can be carried out through updating the .htaccess to force HTTPS on every page.  To get more information on how to get this done, go through
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- Now head to your website to test the SSL Certificate.  If you are redirected to the secure HTTPS:// version of your site, then you have no problem because it means the SSL certificate is working properly.. However, If the HTTPS:// prefix is missing, you would need to get some solution tips here

How Do I Switch To Hostgator When I Am Experiencing SSL Issues?

Switching to a new host is not that easy like you might think.  Check out the following steps carefully and they should help you through..

1. Identify And Sign Up On Your New Host.  Importantly, You are recommended NOT to cancel with your old hosting provider and DO NOT notify them you will be canceling. If you leak the secrete to them, they will terminate your site prematurely and cause downtime.

2. Do A Backup Of Your Files:  At this stage, you ought to have hosting accounts with both the old host and the new host. Then, You will now switch your entire site from the old host to the new one. You can do this by connecting to the old host's FTP and downloading all your files and then after download, connect to the new host's FTP and uploading all your files. By doing this, ensure you are maintaining the same file and folder shape.
Also, if you decide to make HostGator as your new host, Hostgator may transfer your entire site over free of charge. For more information on this, see Hostgator Transfer.

3. Backup Database:  Before you attempt migrating to Hostgator, it is very important and necessary to backup any databases on the old host (contact the old host for instructions) and upload the backup files to the new host through FTP. After that process, you must then restore your databases from those backup files; this can be done via SSH or cPanel's phpMyAdmin..

3. Time To Update Your Domain Name's DNS:  At this stage, Your new host will provide you with the correct name servers (DNS). You may need to contact the new host to know what DNS settings you will use for your domain name.
This is what DNS name servers usually look like :

ns1.yourhostname.com
ns2.yourhostname.com

Note- Replace yourhostname.com with your host's domain name):

Now that you have the correct DNS, head to the registrar or company where you purchased your domain name to make the change. If you purchased your domain name from your host, you can easily ask them to make the DNS changes for you. If you have no idea what to tell your host, you can use the following example:

Hi. My domain with you is _____.___ ; please, I need you to change my domain name's name servers to ns1._______.____ and ns2._______.____ .

If your host is HostGator, then you should be smiling now because Hostgator have a very great service and one of the best customer service around. They'll be very pleased to help you or even make the DNS changes for you.

4. Wait For The DNS To Propagate: Once you have successfully made changes to your DNS, you will need to wait 48 hours from the time of the change before your site will now load from the new host. During this 48 hour of patiently waiting, your DNS is propagating worldwide and your site will be randomly loading from either the old host or the new host. Once 48 hours is completed, your site will begin to only load from the new host.

5. Cancel Your Hosting With Old Company: Your updated DNS would now be completely active after 48 hours.  The next step to take is to contact your old host and cancel your hosting account with them. But please take Note: If you originally bought your domain name from the old host, do not cancel your domain registration.

By following the above steps, you would have no delay in switching hosts successfully. Why don't you give Hostgator a try and grab their Free SSL Now!

What do you think?