Let’s Encrypt one year later

It’s been roughly a year since we debuted our Let’s Encrypt support and in suitably timely fashion, we’ve just surged past 1,500 active installations of Let’s Encrypt SSL across our hosting platforms.

Why SSL and HTTPS matter

You’ve probably seen us talking a lot about SSL and a common question we’re asked is simply why? As this Google post sums up, “One common misconception about HTTPS is that the only websites that need HTTPS are those that handle sensitive communications.”

As per the post linked above, SSL isn’t just about securing login forms, it also helps make for a better, safer web for everyone. Whether it’s protecting your site visitors whose aggregate browsing behaviour might be being analysed by attackers, or simply following the path that Google has laid out, SSL is for everyone.

Google’s carrot and stick

As gatekeepers of vast amounts of the web traffic your website wants, Google’s lead here is important to note. As far back as 2014, Google began to talk about the positive effect of SSL on search ranking. It’s rare for the search giant to talk about the specifics of their ranking algorithm, so it’s important to take note when they do. The message is clear: use SSL, rank better. Who doesn’t want more traffic?

On the flip side, Google is also penalising sites that don’t use SSL directly via their Chrome browser. The effort started in January this year for sites that require login details or credit card data, but in October this year, all non-HTTPS content will be flagged with a warning. This means that if you ignore SSL, and your site visitors use Chrome (hint: most of them do) the first thing they’ll see on your site is not your homepage but a big scary non-secure site warning from Google. The potential for lost eyeballs is huge.

Let’s Encrypt SSL on 34SP.com hosting

For all of these reasons, we’ve been banging the SSL drum loudly for a year. SSL through 34SP.com is free, simple to implement, and beneficial to all websites. All of our packages come with free SSL via Let’s Encrypt. Here’s how to enable it on each of our plans:

Professional Hosting: https://www.34sp.com/kb/141/how-to-install-a-lets-encrypt-ssl-certificate
WordPress Hosting: https://www.34sp.com/kb/141/how-to-install-a-lets-encrypt-ssl-certificate
Business Hosting: https://www.34sp.com/kb/141/how-to-install-a-lets-encrypt-ssl-certificate
Reseller Hosting: https://www.34sp.com/kb/87/how-to-install-an-ssl-certificate