Securing your website with SSL (Secure Socket Layer) is vital for protecting sensitive information, ensuring privacy, and boosting your site’s credibility. Whether or not your website processes sensitive data, such as credit card information, having SSL provides essential security for your visitors by encrypting data between the server and the browser. Furthermore, SSL certificates also improve your SEO ranking, as search engines like Google give preference to secured websites.

If your hosting provider doesn’t offer free SSL, such as GoDaddy, you don’t need to worry. You can easily install a third-party SSL certificate, like ZeroSSL, for free. This tutorial will guide you through the steps of enabling external SSL for your website using cPanel.

Why You Need SSL for Your Website

Before diving into the installation process, here’s why enabling SSL is crucial:

• Data Protection: SSL encrypts sensitive information, protecting it from hackers.
• Trust and Credibility: A secured site (with HTTPS) increases user trust.
• SEO Benefits: Search engines favor HTTPS websites, which can improve your ranking.
• Compliance: For e-commerce and other businesses, SSL is often a legal requirement.

Steps to Enable External SSL in cPanel

Follow these simple steps to install a free SSL certificate on your website using a third-party provider like ZeroSSL.

Step 1: Identify SSL Requirement

Before installing SSL, visit your website and check for any security warning or “Not Secure” label in the browser address bar. This indicates that SSL has not yet been installed.

Step 2: Choose a Third-Party SSL Provider

You can easily find free SSL certificates from third-party providers such as:

• ZeroSSL: This service offers free SSL certificates that are valid for 90 days.

Step 3: Generate a Free SSL Certificate

1. Visit ZeroSSL or search for “SSL For Free” in your browser.
2. Enter Your Website URL: On the ZeroSSL website, type your domain name and click on the Create Free SSL Certificate button.
3. Choose 90-Day Free Certificate: When prompted, select the 90-day certificate option for free SSL.
4. Auto-Generate CSR: Select the Auto-Generate CSR option. This will automatically create a Certificate Signing Request (CSR), required for SSL activation.

Step 4: Verify Domain Ownership

Next, you need to verify that you own the domain for which you are requesting the SSL certificate.

1. Choose HTTP File Upload Verification: The easiest method is HTTP File Upload.
2. Download the Authentication File: Download the provided Auth File to your computer.
3. Login to cPanel: In a new tab, log in to your cPanel.
4. Navigate to File Manager: In cPanel, go to File Manager and open the public_html folder.
5. Create a Validation Folder: Inside public_html, create a folder named .well-known (if not already present). Within this folder, create another folder named pki-validation.
6. Upload the Auth File: Upload the downloaded Auth File into the pki-validation directory.
7. Verify Domain: Return to the SSL provider’s website and click Verify Domain. The system will check for the uploaded file to confirm domain ownership.

Step 5: Download the SSL Certificate

Once your domain is verified, you’ll see a Download Certificate button.

1. Download and Extract the SSL Certificate zip file to your computer.
2. You will need three pieces of information from this file: SSL Certificate, Private Key, and CA Bundle.

Step 6: Install SSL via cPanel

Now that you have your SSL files, it’s time to install them on your website via cPanel.

1. Log into cPanel.
2. Search for SSL: In the cPanel dashboard, use the search bar to find the SSL/TLS option.
3. Click Manage SSL Sites: Scroll down and click on Manage SSL Sites.
4. Select Your Domain: Under the Install an SSL Website section, choose your domain from the drop-down menu.
5. Paste the Certificate Codes:
   • Open the extracted SSL files from the downloaded zip folder.
   • Copy the content of the SSL Certificate and paste it into the Certificate (CRT) field in cPanel.
   • Copy the Private Key and paste it into the corresponding field.
   • Finally, copy the CA Bundle and paste it into the Certificate Authority Bundle (CABUNDLE) field.
6. Install the SSL Certificate: Once all fields are filled out, click on the Install Certificate button.

Step 7: Test the SSL Installation

After installation, visit your website and ensure that the HTTP version now redirects to HTTPS and that no SSL errors are displayed in the browser.

SSL Renewal

Remember that free SSL certificates like the one from ZeroSSL are valid for 90 days. After this period, you will need to renew and reinstall the certificate following the same process.

Conclusion

Installing an external SSL certificate in cPanel is a straightforward process that doesn’t require payment if you opt for a third-party provider like ZeroSSL. By enabling SSL, you improve both the security and credibility of your website, protect user data, and give your site an SEO boost.

Now that you know how to install SSL for free, you can ensure that your website remains secure without the need to invest in expensive SSL certificates. This simple yet effective step protects your visitors and enhances the overall performance and reputation of your website.