What does MyBizGrade check?

We analyze your website speed, SEO tags, Google reviews, social media presence, and accessibility. Each area gets its own score and letter grade.

How is the grade calculated?

Each category is scored from 0 to 100 based on real data from your site. The overall grade is a weighted average across all five categories.

Yes, the full audit and grade are completely free. You can upgrade to a Pro report with copy-paste fixes for $39 if you want help improving.

What's in the Pro report?

You get a priority action plan, copy-paste ready fixes for every issue, time estimates, and a downloadable PDF. It tells you exactly what to change and how.

How long does the audit take?

Most audits finish in under 30 seconds. Complex sites with many pages may take up to a minute.

Do you store my data?

We store your audit results so you can revisit your report. We never sell your data or share it with third parties.

How often should I check my grade?

We recommend running a new audit every month. Your online presence changes as you update your site, get new reviews, and post on social media.

MyBizGrade was built by a small team of developers who wanted to make online presence auditing simple and affordable for small businesses.

SSL Certificates Explained: Why Your Site Needs HTTPS

# SSL Certificates Explained: Why Your Site Needs HTTPS Visit your website right now. Look at the address bar. Do you see a padlock icon and "https://" before your domain? Or do you see "Not Secure" in red text? If your site shows "Not Secure," you have a problem. Browsers actively warn visitors away from your website. Google lowers your search rankings. And any data your customers submit through contact forms travels across the internet unprotected. The fix is an SSL certificate. Here is everything you need to know. ## What Is an SSL Certificate? SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer. An SSL certificate encrypts the connection between your website and your visitors' browsers. When someone visits your site, the SSL certificate scrambles the data so no one between the visitor and your server reads it. Think of it like sending a letter in a sealed envelope versus a postcard. Without SSL, anyone along the delivery route reads the postcard. With SSL, the envelope is sealed and only the intended recipient opens it. The technical term for the current version of this technology is TLS (Transport Layer Security), but everyone still calls it SSL. When your site uses SSL/TLS, the URL starts with "https://" instead of "http://". The "s" stands for secure. ## Why Your Business Website Needs SSL ### Browser Warnings Scare Customers Away Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge all display warnings for websites without SSL. Chrome shows "Not Secure" in the address bar. Some browsers display a full-page warning before allowing visitors to continue. Put yourself in a customer's shoes. They search for your business, click your website, and see a security warning. Most people hit the back button immediately. They do not read the warning carefully or decide to proceed anyway. They leave and visit a competitor. ### Google Uses HTTPS as a Ranking Signal Google confirmed HTTPS as a ranking factor in 2014. Websites using HTTPS receive a small ranking boost over identical sites using HTTP. In competitive local markets, this small advantage makes a difference. Google also flags HTTP pages with forms as "Not Secure" in search results. If your contact page lacks SSL, Google tells users before they even visit. ### Data Protection If your website has a contact form, email signup, login page, or payment processing, SSL protects the information customers submit. Without SSL, form data transmits in plain text. Anyone on the same Wi-Fi network or between the user and your server intercepts it. For businesses handling customer information, operating without SSL creates legal liability. Privacy regulations like GDPR and CCPA expect businesses to protect user data in transit. ### Customer Trust The padlock icon in the address bar is a trust signal. Visitors recognize it, even subconsciously. A secure site feels professional and legitimate. An insecure site raises doubts about whether the business is real, active, or trustworthy. ## Types of SSL Certificates SSL certificates come in three validation levels: ### Domain Validation (DV) The most basic and common type. It verifies you own the domain name. Issued in minutes. Costs nothing to $50/year. DV certificates work perfectly for most small business websites. They provide the same encryption as more expensive options. The padlock looks identical. ### Organization Validation (OV) Verifies your domain ownership and basic business information. The certificate authority confirms your business exists. Takes 1-3 days to issue. Costs $50-200/year. OV certificates add a thin layer of trust verification. Most visitors never notice the difference between DV and OV. ### Extended Validation (EV) The most thorough verification. The certificate authority checks your legal identity, physical address, and operational status. Takes 1-2 weeks. Costs $100-500/year. EV certificates used to display the company name in a green address bar. Browsers stopped this practice in 2019. The visual difference between EV and DV certificates is now minimal. For small businesses, EV certificates are not worth the extra cost. **Recommendation for small businesses:** A free or low-cost DV certificate provides everything you need. ## How to Get a Free SSL Certificate You do not need to spend money on SSL. Multiple options exist for free certificates: ### Option 1: Your Hosting Provider Most modern hosting providers include free SSL certificates. SiteGround, Bluehost, GoDaddy, HostGator, and others offer one-click SSL activation through Let's Encrypt. Log into your hosting control panel. Look for an SSL or Security section. Click "Enable" or "Activate." The certificate installs automatically and renews itself. ### Option 2: Let's Encrypt Let's Encrypt is a free, automated certificate authority. It provides DV certificates at no cost. Over 300 million websites use Let's Encrypt certificates. If your host does not include SSL, ask them to enable Let's Encrypt. If they refuse or charge for it, consider switching to a host offering free SSL. ### Option 3: Cloudflare Cloudflare's free plan includes SSL encryption. After signing up and pointing your domain to Cloudflare's nameservers, SSL activates automatically. Cloudflare also provides a CDN and DDoS protection. This option works even if your hosting provider does not offer SSL. Cloudflare handles the encryption between visitors and their servers. ### Option 4: Website Builders Wix, Squarespace, Shopify, and WordPress.com include SSL on all plans. If you use one of these platforms, SSL is already active. Verify by checking for the padlock icon. ## How to Install an SSL Certificate (Step by Step) The process varies by hosting provider, but the general steps are: 1. **Log into your hosting control panel** (cPanel, Plesk, or your host's custom panel) 2. **Find the SSL/TLS section** (sometimes under "Security") 3. **Select your domain** from the list 4. **Choose "Free SSL" or "Let's Encrypt"** as the certificate type 5. **Click Install or Activate** 6. **Wait 5-15 minutes** for the certificate to provision 7. **Visit your site** and confirm the padlock appears If your host uses cPanel, the path is usually: cPanel > Security > SSL/TLS > Manage SSL Sites. ## After Installing SSL: Force HTTPS Installing the certificate is step one. You also need to redirect all HTTP traffic to HTTPS. Without this redirect, visitors typing "http://yoursite.com" still reach the insecure version. ### WordPress Install the "Really Simple SSL" plugin. It detects your certificate and configures redirects automatically. Activate the plugin and follow the prompts. Alternatively, add this to your .htaccess file: ``` RewriteEngine On RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301] ``` ### Wix, Squarespace, Shopify These platforms handle HTTPS redirection automatically. No extra steps needed. ### Other Platforms Check your hosting provider's documentation for HTTPS redirect instructions. Most offer a toggle in the control panel. ## Update Your Internal Links After enabling HTTPS, update all internal links pointing to HTTP versions of your pages. Links in navigation menus, footer links, image sources, and embedded content should all use HTTPS URLs. Also update your URL in: - Google Business Profile - Google Search Console (add the HTTPS property) - Google Analytics - Social media profiles - Business directory listings - Email signatures Inconsistent URLs confuse search engines and split your SEO value between two versions of your site. ## Common SSL Problems and Fixes ### Mixed Content Warnings Your site uses HTTPS, but some elements (images, scripts, stylesheets) still load over HTTP. Browsers flag this as "mixed content" and display a partial warning. **Fix:** Find and update all HTTP references in your content, theme, and plugins. Use a tool like Why No Padlock (whynopadlock.com) to identify mixed content on specific pages. ### Certificate Expired SSL certificates expire. Free certificates from Let's Encrypt expire every 90 days but renew automatically. If auto-renewal fails, your site shows a scary expiration warning. **Fix:** Check your certificate expiration date. Ensure auto-renewal is enabled. Set a calendar reminder to verify the certificate renews before expiration. ### Wrong Domain on Certificate A certificate for "www.yoursite.com" does not cover "yoursite.com" (without www). Visitors reaching the uncovered version see a security error. **Fix:** Use a certificate covering both versions, or set up a redirect from one version to the other. ## Verify Your SSL Is Working After installation, verify everything works: 1. Visit your site using "https://" - padlock should appear 2. Visit using "http://" - should redirect to HTTPS 3. Check with SSL Labs (ssllabs.com/ssltest) for a detailed grade 4. Test on different browsers and devices Aim for an A rating on SSL Labs. Anything below B needs attention. ## Check Your Full Website Security Score SSL is one piece of your website's security profile. GradeMyBiz checks your SSL status alongside your overall website health, Google Business Profile, reviews, and competitive positioning. [Get your free security grade at GradeMyBiz](https://grademybiz.vercel.app) ## For more on this topic, read [How to Check Your Business Online Presence in 5 Minutes](/blog/how-to-check-business-online-presence). For more on this topic, read [The Cost of Ignoring Your Online Presence (Real Numbers)](/blog/cost-of-ignoring-online-presence).No Excuses in 2026 Free SSL certificates are available to every website. Installation takes minutes on most hosting platforms. The benefits include better rankings, increased trust, and data protection. If your website still runs on HTTP, fix it today. The "Not Secure" warning is costing you customers right now. [Grade your online presence for free](https://grademybiz.vercel.app)