How to add an SSL Certificate to a Dreamhost website domain

HOT SEARCH TOPIC: How to add an SSL certificate on Dreamhost. You’re doing it because you’ve received the dreaded message from someone in your circle – or worse – a stranger who you’re trying to impress and hire you. And then they get this message upon landing on your site:

‘Your site’s not secure.‘

Ensue panic, Google searches, and general “I don’t know what I’m doing” freak outs.

But it’s okay. It happens to everyone. It happened to me just last week. I sent out a URL to my students that had https:// in the line but it was, in fact, NOT a secure link and thus my website visitors got an error, and I got a bunch o’ emails asking me what was up.

Ugh, I’m not a fan of a less-than-stellar user experience. Like I said, mistakes happen. Luckily, if you’re with DreamHost as your hosting company, adding an SSL certificate to your dreamhost website is pretty simple. But first,

What is an SSL Certificate and why do you need one?

An SSL certificate is what keeps your website safe and trustworthy. It encrypts the information shared between your site and its visitors, which helps protect sensitive data like contact details, login information, and payment info. It also makes your site show up as “secure” with the little padlock in the browser bar. Without it, visitors may see a “Not Secure” warning that can scare them away. WordPress and DreamHost make it simple to add SSL so your site looks professional, protects your audience, and builds trust with every click.

How to add an SSL certificate on Dreamhost

This video is a play-by-play on setting up SSL with Dreamhost, but it can be applied to any other hosting as well. You’ll just have to look for similar wording when you’re logged into your hosting account.

If you’re not with Dreamhost and want to be, click here to learn more about the different plans to host your website on.