Having a secure website these days is a must. Luckily installing an SSL certificate with cPanel is easy. Below I will show you the steps for installing a free SSL, you could also use a paid SSL. If you already have your SSL, skip to the second section.

The SSL Certificate

  1. Head to your chosen SSL provider. I will be using a free provider today.
  2. Enter the domain name you would like to protect.
  3. You get a few options for verification, I am going to choose upload a file. If you use a paid service you can also use Email verification.
  4. To use the file upload method, you log into your hosting using ftp and filezilla for example. Then create a folder in the website folder called .well-known then a folder called acme-challenge then paste the file you downloaded into that folder. You can check that it works by pressing the test link.
  5. After you have tested, press the “Download SSL Certificate”. This will give you three boxes of text.
  6. Keep this open as we move to the next steps

CPannel Installation

  1. Log into your cPanel.
  2. Go to the security section.
  3. Select “SSL/TLS”.
  4. Select “Manage SSL Sites”.
  5. From the Domain drop down list, select the domain you would like to add the SSL to.
  6. Paste the text from each box in step 5 of “The SSL Certificate” to the corresponding boxes in Cpanel. 
  7. Then select install certificate.
  8. You should get a prompt saying the site is now secure.