How to Install Free SSL From Let’s Encrypt on Shared Hosting

If you own a website, you need an SSL certificate. Fortunately, you can get one for free. Here, we will uncover how to install Let’s Encrypt on shared hosting to improve your site’s security and credibility.

Table of Contents:

Reasons to Install SSL Certificate

Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is a web protocol for securing data transfer and communication. The protocol encrypts all information requested from the server and vice-versa, thus preventing third-parties from accessing it.

Here are the main benefits of enabling SSL protocol on your website:

• Improves website security — SSL encrypts sensitive information. It ensures secure data transfer and connection.
• Increases credibility — enabling SSL protocol shows your commitment to protecting visitor data, securing online payments, and complying with GDPR.
• Improves SEO ranking — popular search engines like Google prioritize HTTPS-enabled sites in their Search Engine Result Pages (SERP).

To enable SSL on your website, you need to obtain an SSL certificate from a certificate authority (CA) first. Most hosting providers like Hostinger offer great SSL deals that are not only affordable but also easy to install.

Not to worry — if you’re on a tight budget, there are several non-profit certificate authorities like Let’s Encrypt that distribute SSL certificates for free.

However, please note that free SSL certificates generated by Let’s Encrypt are only valid for 90 days. Therefore, you need to renew it periodically to maintain their benefits.

How to Install Let’s Encrypt on Shared Hosting Using SSL For Free

In this tutorial, we will show you how to install a free SSL certificate on a shared Hostinger account using hPanel. If you’re running on cPanel, you can refer to this article instead.

Here are the steps to install Let’s Encrypt on shared hosting using SSL For Free:

1. On SSL For Free homepage, enter your website’s URL and click Create Free SSL Certificate.
   
2. Select Manual Verification, then press on the Manually Verify Domain button that appears at the bottom.
3. Scroll down and find the Upload Verification Files. Download the verification files, File #1 and File #2, listed on number one to your local storage. Do not close the page.
   
4. Access File Manager from your hPanel dashboard, then go to your root directory. In most cases, it’s public_html.
5. Create a new folder named .well-known, and another one called acme-challenge inside the newly created folder. Upload both verification files to the acme-challenge folder.
   
6. Navigate back to the SSL For Free Upload Verification Files page and click on both verification links listed on number five. If the verification process is successful, random alphanumeric characters should appear on your screen both times. If not, recheck the files’ paths to ensure you have placed them in the correct location.
7. Click Download SSL Certificate to generate three sets of keys — certificate, private key, and CA bundle. Write them down as you will need them in the next step.
8. Moving back to your hosting account, access the SSL menu under the Advanced section. Paste the keys you have obtained to the appointed boxes, then click Install.
9. If the installation process is successful, the SSL details should appear in the List of Installed SSL section.
   

Conclusion

The SSL protocol has gradually become a mandatory security protocol for all websites. If you don’t have a budget to purchase an SSL certificate, not to worry. You can install Let’s Encrypt free SSL certificate and still get all the SSL’s benefits.

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