SSL and HTTPS Setup Manchester
If Chrome shows Not secure beside your address, or the padlock comes and goes, your SSL and HTTPS setup needs attention. We install certificates, clear mixed content, tidy redirects and add renewal checks for Manchester businesses, so every visitor reaches one secure address.
- Since 2003trading in Manchester
- 20,000+UK businesses helped
- Collect M8Unit 3, 116 Bury New Road
- A personchecks every file
Security and care
Every job is a fixed quote, agreed in writing before any work starts. No obligation.
- WordPress Malware RemovalWEB 101Quote
- Website Security Check-upWEB 102Quote
- WordPress MaintenanceWEB 103Quote
- Backups and RestoreWEB 104Quote
- Uptime MonitoringWEB 105Quote
What SSL and HTTPS do for your site
An SSL certificate (strictly TLS these days) lets the browser encrypt the connection between visitor and server, so form entries and logins cannot be read in transit. Pages served over plain HTTP are labelled Not secure in Chrome, which puts people off enquiring.
Getting a certificate is the easy bit. Many hosts supply free Let’s Encrypt certificates, but each lasts only 90 days and must renew automatically. When renewal fails after a DNS change, a firewall rule or a host move, visitors hit a full-page security error.
The other half is making the site use HTTPS everywhere. Old images, scripts and stylesheets still on http:// cause mixed content warnings. The four versions of your address, http and https with and without www, should each reach one final address through a single 301 redirect, not a chain of hops.
Who needs HTTPS fixing
Mostly sites moved, rebuilt or launched in a hurry.
- Sites still marked Not secure on some or all pages
- Businesses that changed host and lost their certificate or renewal
- WordPress sites with a padlock on the homepage but warnings on old posts
- Shops whose product images still load over http
- Sites sending visitors through several redirect hops
- Owners with multiple domains or subdomains to cover
How we fix HTTPS properly
Check the current state
We test every version of your address, read the certificate details and crawl the site for http references.
Install with auto-renewal
The right certificate is installed for each domain and subdomain, and automatic renewal is confirmed working.
Fix mixed content
Hard-coded http links in the database, theme, plugins and CSS are updated to https.
One address, single redirects
We choose the main address and set one 301 from every other version, with no chains or loops.
Update links and signals
Internal links, canonical tags, the XML sitemap and your Search Console property move to the https address.
Monitor and add HSTS
Expiry alerts go live, and once everything works we add an HSTS header so browsers always use https.
What is fixed when we finish
- A valid certificate for every domain and subdomain in use
- Automatic renewal tested, not assumed
- No mixed content on any crawled page
- One https address with single-hop 301 redirects
- Canonical tags, internal links and sitemap updated
- Certificate expiry alerts sent to you and to us
- An HSTS header with a sensible max-age
HTTPS faults we fix most often
A handful of problems cause most padlock and warning calls.
- Expired certificate: renewal stopped after a DNS or host change and nobody was told
- Wrong name: the certificate covers the bare domain but not www, or the reverse
- Mixed content: old images or embeds saved in the database with full http addresses
- Redirect loops: a CDN set to flexible SSL while the server also forces https
- Redirect chains: http to https, then to www, then to a trailing slash, each a separate hop
Moving host at the same time? Do both together through hosting and migration. For Apache redirect rules, our htaccess redirect generator covers common cases.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a paid SSL certificate?
Most sites do not. A Let’s Encrypt certificate encrypts the connection just as well. Paid certificates add things such as organisation validation that some businesses want for policy reasons, and we will tell you whether your site needs one.
Will moving to HTTPS affect my search listings?
Done properly, it is a routine change, and Google has said HTTPS is a small ranking signal. Trouble comes from messy redirects, mixed content or forgetting canonical tags and the sitemap, which is exactly what we deal with.
Why does my padlock vanish on some pages?
Almost always mixed content: the page loads over https, but an image, script, font or embed on it still uses an http address. Browsers then block it or mark the page as not fully secure. We find each one and correct it at the source.
What is HSTS and should I use it?
HSTS is a header telling browsers to connect only over https, even when someone types http. It closes a gap on that first request. We add it last, after every subdomain is confirmed working, because a mistake can lock visitors out.
Why did my certificate expire when it should renew?
Renewal depends on the server showing it controls the domain. If DNS moved, a firewall blocks the check or the site changed host, renewal fails quietly. Expiry monitoring flags this weeks ahead, before visitors see an error.
Related services
- Web Design Manchester: the full range of web services.
- Uptime Monitoring: certificate and domain expiry alerts.
- Website Security Check-up: reviews HTTPS alongside other security headers.
- Technical SEO: redirects and canonicals checked across the whole site.
- Hosting and Migration: certificates moved correctly with the site.
Getting a Not secure label or a certificate error? Get a quote for HTTPS fixes, call 0161 315 1151 or send us the address on WhatsApp at 07737 902425.
Ready to get started?
Tell us what you need and we'll come back with an honest, fixed-price quote — no obligation.