SSL Certificates Explained: Why Your Irish Business Website Needs HTTPS

You’ve probably noticed the little padlock icon in your browser’s address bar. Maybe you’ve seen warnings when visiting sites without it. But what does SSL actually do, and why should your Irish business care?

This isn’t just a technical checkbox. SSL affects your security, your customer trust, your SEO rankings, and even whether modern browsers will let people access your site without frightening warnings.

What SSL Actually Does

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) — or more accurately TLS (Transport Layer Security), its modern successor — encrypts the connection between your website and your visitors’ browsers.

Think of it like sending a letter in a locked box instead of a postcard. Without SSL, anyone between your visitor and your server can read everything: login credentials, contact form submissions, payment details, private messages.

With SSL, that data is encrypted. Even if intercepted, it’s unreadable without the encryption key.

What Gets Protected

• Login usernames and passwords
• Contact form submissions
• Search queries on your site
• E-commerce transactions
• Personal data in membership areas
• Admin dashboard access

What Doesn’t Get Protected

SSL protects data in transit, but it doesn’t:

• Protect your site from hacking
• Secure data stored on your server
• Prevent malware infections
• Replace other security measures

SSL is essential, but it’s one layer of security, not a complete solution. For comprehensive protection, see our WordPress security basics guide.

Why SSL Matters for Irish Businesses

Browser Warnings Drive Visitors Away

Since 2018, Chrome marks all non-HTTPS sites as “Not Secure” in the address bar. Safari, Firefox, and Edge do the same. When visitors see security warnings, they leave.

Studies show that 85% of online shoppers avoid websites without HTTPS. For any Irish business collecting information online — even just a contact form — this directly impacts conversions.

Google Ranks HTTPS Sites Higher

Google confirmed HTTPS as a ranking factor back in 2014. While it’s a relatively minor factor compared to content quality, two otherwise equal sites will rank differently based on SSL status.

More importantly, user behaviour signals matter. When visitors bounce from your site due to security warnings, Google notices and adjusts your rankings accordingly.

GDPR Requires Appropriate Security

The General Data Protection Regulation requires “appropriate technical and organisational measures” to protect personal data. For any website collecting EU citizen data, SSL encryption is considered a baseline expectation. Read our GDPR compliance guide for WordPress for more details.

While GDPR doesn’t specifically mandate SSL, regulators expect it. Operating without it while collecting personal data would be difficult to defend in any compliance review.

Payment Processing Requires It

If you accept online payments, SSL isn’t optional. PCI DSS compliance — required by card networks — mandates encrypted connections for handling payment data. No SSL, no payments.

Types of SSL Certificates

Not all SSL certificates are equal. Understanding the differences helps you choose appropriately.

Domain Validated (DV) Certificates

What it verifies: You control the domain How it works: Automated email or DNS verification Visual indicator: Padlock only Cost: Free to €50/year Best for: Personal sites, blogs, small business websites

This is the most common type and sufficient for most websites. It proves the connection is encrypted to the domain owner’s server, nothing more.

Organisation Validated (OV) Certificates

What it verifies: You control the domain AND your organisation exists How it works: Manual verification of business registration Visual indicator: Padlock (same as DV visually) Cost: €50-200/year Best for: Businesses wanting additional assurance

OV certificates require proof of business registration. While they don’t look different in the browser, the certificate details show verified organisation information.

Extended Validation (EV) Certificates

What it verifies: Thorough organisation vetting How it works: Detailed background checks, legal documentation Visual indicator: Padlock only (green bar was removed by browsers) Cost: €200-500+/year Best for: Banks, large e-commerce, high-security needs

EV certificates require extensive verification including legal existence, operational presence, and authorisation. They used to show a green bar with company name, but browsers removed this in 2019-2020.

Wildcard Certificates

What it covers: Main domain plus all subdomains Example: *.example.ie covers shop.example.ie, blog.example.ie, etc. Cost: Varies by validation level Best for: Sites with multiple subdomains

Multi-Domain (SAN) Certificates

What it covers: Multiple different domains Example: One certificate for example.ie, example.com, and example.co.uk Cost: Varies by validation level and domain count Best for: Businesses with multiple domains

Free vs Paid SSL: What’s the Difference?

Let’s Encrypt (Free)

Let’s Encrypt revolutionised SSL by providing free, automated DV certificates. For most websites, this is perfectly adequate.

Pros:

• Completely free
• Automated renewal
• Widely trusted by browsers
• Easy to set up with most hosts

Cons:

• DV only (no OV or EV options)
• 90-day validity (requires automation)
• Limited support (community only)

Paid Certificates

Commercial certificate authorities like DigiCert, Sectigo, and GlobalSign offer paid options.

When to pay:

• You need OV or EV validation
• You want warranty/insurance coverage
• You need dedicated support
• Your industry requires specific certificate types
• You want longer validity periods

For most Irish small businesses, Let’s Encrypt through your hosting provider is the right choice.

How to Check Your SSL Status

Quick Browser Check

1. Visit your website
2. Look for the padlock icon in the address bar
3. Click the padlock for certificate details
4. Check the certificate expiry date

Online Tools

SSL Labs Server Test (ssllabs.com/ssltest): Enter your domain for a comprehensive security analysis, including:

• Certificate validity
• Server configuration
• Protocol support
• Known vulnerabilities

Why No Padlock? (whynopadlock.com): If your padlock shows warnings, this tool identifies mixed content issues.

Common SSL Problems and Fixes

Mixed Content Warnings

The problem: Your site loads over HTTPS, but some resources (images, scripts, stylesheets) load over HTTP.

The fix:

1. Update internal links to use HTTPS or relative URLs
2. Update any hardcoded HTTP links in your content
3. Use plugins like Really Simple SSL to catch remaining issues
4. Update external resource links where possible

Certificate Expiry

The problem: SSL certificates expire, and browsers block access to expired certificates.

The fix:

1. Set up automated renewal (Let’s Encrypt does this automatically)
2. Monitor expiry dates
3. Use hosting that handles renewals

Certificate Name Mismatch

The problem: Certificate is for www.example.ie but you’re accessing example.ie (or vice versa).

The fix:

1. Ensure certificate covers both www and non-www versions
2. Set up proper redirects to your preferred version
3. Use a wildcard certificate if managing multiple subdomains

Outdated TLS Versions

The problem: Your server uses old TLS versions (TLS 1.0 or 1.1) that browsers are deprecating.

The fix:

1. Contact your hosting provider
2. Update server configuration to TLS 1.2 or 1.3
3. Consider a hosting upgrade if provider can’t update

WordPress-Specific SSL Setup

Enabling HTTPS in WordPress

1. Update WordPress URLs:

   • Go to Settings > General
   • Change WordPress Address and Site Address to https://

2. Update .htaccess for redirects:

   RewriteEngine On
   RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
   RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]

3. Fix mixed content:

   • Use Search Replace DB or Better Search Replace plugin
   • Replace http://yourdomain.ie with https://yourdomain.ie

Recommended Plugins

Really Simple SSL:

• Automatically detects and configures SSL
• Fixes most mixed content issues
• Handles redirects
• Free version sufficient for most sites

WP Force SSL:

• Redirects HTTP to HTTPS
• Fixes insecure content
• SSL certificate monitoring

The SparkHost Standard

Every SparkHost plan includes:

• Free SSL certificates — Let’s Encrypt, automatically issued
• Automatic renewal — No expiry worries
• Forced HTTPS — Automatic redirects configured
• TLS 1.3 support — Latest security protocols
• Mixed content fixing — We help resolve issues during migration

We don’t charge extra for SSL because it’s not optional anymore — it’s a baseline requirement for any website.

Action Steps

If you don’t have SSL:

1. Contact your hosting provider
2. Enable Let’s Encrypt or equivalent
3. Update WordPress URLs
4. Set up HTTP to HTTPS redirects
5. Fix mixed content issues

If you have SSL:

1. Run an SSL Labs test on your domain
2. Check your certificate expiry date
3. Verify no mixed content warnings
4. Ensure TLS 1.2+ is enabled

The padlock isn’t just an icon. It’s a statement to your visitors that you take their security seriously. Make sure you’re making the right statement. For a complete overview of what you need to secure your WordPress site, see our security audit checklist.