SSL Certificate: Why Your Website Must Switch to HTTPS

An SSL certificate (today known as a TLS certificate) is what moves your site from “http” to “https”. It encrypts communication between your visitors’ browsers and your server, and displays the padlock in the address bar. It has become a prerequisite for any professional website. Here’s what it offers, the different types, and how to obtain one without making mistakes.

SSL/TLS Certificate: What It Protects

SSL and TLS refer to the same family of encryption protocols: TLS is the modern version. The protocol enables a browser and a server to communicate in a way that prevents three things: a third party eavesdropping on the conversation, modifying it, or impersonating your site.

In practice, when a visitor fills out a contact form or enters their login credentials, this information travels encrypted. Without HTTPS, it travels in plain text and can be intercepted on an unsecured network, such as public Wi-Fi.

The certificate also serves to authenticate the site: it proves that the displayed domain is indeed the one holding the certificate. That’s the role of the padlock.

Take an example: a customer enters their address and banking details in a form. Without HTTPS, this data travels in plain text and can be read by anyone intercepting the traffic on the network. With HTTPS, it is encrypted end-to-end, from the browser all the way to the server.

HTTPS and Visitor Trust

The padlock has become a trust indicator. Browsers display “Not Secure” on sites that remain on HTTP, which immediately discourages a portion of visitors.

For a site that collects data — forms, customer accounts, shopping carts — the absence of HTTPS is a dealbreaker: no one shares their details on a page marked as insecure. Switching to HTTPS is therefore not just a technical detail; it’s a prerequisite for any relationship of trust.

The Impact of HTTPS on SEO

Google announced as early as 2014 that HTTPS is a ranking signal. It’s a lightweight signal: quality content weighs more than a simple padlock. But it’s also a signal that Google says it wants to strengthen, and a site remaining on HTTP is today an exception.

Beyond rankings, HTTPS avoids a concrete drawback: without it, some browsers and tools display warnings that harm user experience and click-through rates. This topic is detailed in our article on migrating to HTTPS and SEO.

Certificate Types: DV, OV, EV

All certificates encrypt in the same way. What changes is the level of identity verification for the applicant.

• DV (Domain Validation): the authority only verifies that you control the domain. Issued in a few minutes, often free. It’s the standard for most websites.
• OV (Organization Validation): the authority additionally verifies the existence of your company. The organization’s name appears in the certificate.
• EV (Extended Validation): in-depth verification of the entity. Formerly displayed in green in the address bar, this treatment has been removed from modern browsers, which has reduced its practical value.

For the vast majority of sites, a DV certificate is more than enough. OV and EV make sense for sites where the organization’s identity is a key concern.

Free (Let's Encrypt) or Paid Certificates

Let's Encrypt has democratized HTTPS by issuing free, automatically renewable DV certificates. The process is based on the ACME protocol: a client installed on the server proves it controls the domain — via a DNS record or an HTTP file — then obtains and renews the certificate without human intervention.

Paid certificates mainly offer additional guarantees: an OV or EV level, financial insurance, or dedicated support. For a standard website, the free option is sufficient; for certain regulated or brand-focused uses, the paid option still makes sense.

On Atlas Hoster hosting, certificates are included in the plan: you don’t have to manage the issuance or renewal manually. Our help center covers SSL certificates, their installation, and their renewal.

Renewal and Expiration

A certificate has a limited lifespan. If it expires, the padlock disappears and browsers display a warning that blocks a portion of visitors.

That’s why automatic renewal is essential. With a hosting provider that manages certificates on your behalf, the risk of expiration disappears. If you manage a certificate manually, note the expiration date and schedule the renewal before the deadline.

A certificate that expires over the weekend leaves the site without a padlock until Monday: automatic renewal eliminates this risk.

HTTPS is also one of the first steps in securing a WordPress site and a prerequisite for any site that processes or collects data. For web hosting with included and up-to-date certificates, discover Atlas Hoster’s hosting plans.

Pitfalls to Avoid

• Letting the certificate expire: the padlock disappears and browsers display a warning that drives visitors away.
• Covering only one domain form: if the certificate covers monentreprise.com but not www.monentreprise.com, visitors using the other address will see an error. Cover both.
• Confusing free with less secure: the encryption of a free certificate is identical to that of a paid one; only the identity verification differs.
• Ignoring mixed content: an HTTPS page that still loads images or scripts over HTTP breaks the padlock.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the difference between SSL and TLS?

None in practice. SSL is the old name for the protocol; TLS is its modern version. “SSL certificate” has remained the common term for the certificate that enables HTTPS.

Is a free certificate less secure?

No. The encryption is identical. The difference lies in the level of identity verification and the associated guarantees, not in the strength of the encryption.

Do I need to purchase a certificate separately?

Not necessarily. Many hosting providers, including Atlas Hoster, include certificates in their hosting plans and manage their renewal automatically.