Every reputable online business needs a valid SSL certificate to protect their clients’ security and maintain their brand’s credibility. You can now obtain a valid SSL certificate for free through the open Certificate Authority (CA) Let’s Encrypt. However, regardless of your SSL type, you may encounter SSL errors due to certificate issues or misconfigurations.
According to the best SEO company in India, SSL errors on your website can harm your brand reputation, drive visitors away, and impact your SEO ranking. To avoid these negative consequences, resolving SSL errors on your site is essential. Understanding SSL errors and how to fix them is crucial for your business.
Luckily, most SSL errors are easy to troubleshoot. Renewing or reinstalling a certificate can often be done in minutes. Your website host might even do it for you, saving you time and hassle!
In this post, we’ll cover what an SSL certificate is, common SSL errors, and how to resolve them.
What is an SSL/TLS Certificate?
An SSL/TLS certificate is a digital certificate that authenticates a website’s identity and enables an encrypted connection. SSL (Secure Socket Layer) is an encryption protocol that ensures security for online transactions and sensitive information. TLS (Transport Layer Security) is a more secure successor to SSL, and all SSLs are now based on TLS.
Based on the insights from the most reputed SEO Company in India, these certificates enable encrypted connections between various points, such as between a browser and a server or between servers. The encryption protocols use complex algorithms to protect sensitive data transmitted over the network, ensuring that the entire exchange between a client and server remains private and secure from web criminals.
A website with a properly configured SSL/TLS certificate will display a padlock icon and HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) in front of the domain name, indicating that the site is secure.
How Does an SSL/TLS Certificate Work?
When you access a website over HTTPS, your web browser first connects to the server hosting the site. Your browser, acting as an SSL client, then requests verification from the server to confirm the site’s identity. The SSL server responds by sending its SSL certificate and public key to the browser in an encoded format.\
The SSL client, which is your browser, checks the server’s SSL certificate for its expiration date, revocation status, and validity. Once your browser has verified this information, both the server and client generate a new symmetrical encryption key, also known as a session key. The server then sends an acknowledgement to the SSL client, which is your browser.
Afterwards, the server and client use the session key to establish a secure connection and encrypt the data being transmitted between them. This encryption ensures that the data remains private and secure during transit.
Why an SSL Certificate is Essential?
Any SEO company in India cannot stress enough how crucial maintaining SSL certificates is. A valid and properly configured SSL certificate from a trusted authority is crucial for any website. With over 46 million websites worldwide using SSL certificates, it’s clear that HTTPS:// is a vital SEO factor. Here are some reasons an SSL certificate is important-Encryption for Data Security
SSL encrypts all data exchanged between servers and clients, ensuring the security of sensitive information like credit card numbers, passwords, and messages. This encryption protects browsing data from eavesdropping.
- Identity Verification
SSL verifies your website’s identity, protecting it from phishing attacks. This prevents other domains from impersonating your site and scamming your visitors.
- SEO Ranking Improvement
Whether it’s an SEO company in Bangalore or any other location, every company prioritises websites with valid SSL certificates, leading to better rankings. Google’s algorithm change in 2014 favours sites with SSL certificates, ranking them higher in search results.
- Trustworthy Brand Establishment
PCI compliance, a requirement for online retailers, includes having an SSL certificate. This standard, established by the Payment Card Industry, helps establish consumer trust your brand.
- Enhanced User Experience
A properly installed SSL certificate gives a safer browsing experience, instilling confidence in visitors. This encourages them to make purchases and return to your site.
What is an SSL Certificate Error?
According to the insights gained from the top experts at an established SEO company in Bangalore, an SSL certificate error occurs when there is a problem with the website’s certificate or its configuration on the server. When your browser cannot establish a secure connection with a website due to these issues, it will display a specific error message.
While these error messages may not be overly verbose, they typically indicate where the problem lies. The following section will explain the meaning of the most common SSL errors you are likely to encounter.
Common SSL Certificate Errors
- “429 Too Many Requests”, “No Domains Authorized”, and “Certificate is not for the chosen domain”
Error Description: These errors occur when your domain is not pointed properly or has been registered or pointed recently. After any DNS change, a domain goes through a DNS propagation period that can last up to 72 hours.
Solution: Ensure your domain is pointing to the correct server and has completed DNS propagation before attempting to install
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SSL Certificate Revoked Error
Error Description: As per the leading digital marketing company in India, the SSL Certificate Revoked Error occurs when a Certificate Authority revokes or cancels a domain’s SSL certificate. This can happen if the certificate’s private key is compromised or if the domain is no longer operational. Revoked certificates are listed in the Certificate Revocation List (CRL), and if a browser finds a revoked certificate there, it will display an SSL error.
The certificate authority revokes an SSL certificate if there are signs of compromise or if the domain it was issued for is no longer operational.
Solution: If you encounter this error, contact your Certificate Authority for assistance or seek help from SEO services in India. They may provide a new SSL certificate or help resolve any issues with the current one.
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Mixed Content Error
Error Description: The Mixed Content Error occurs when a website has both secure (HTTPS) and insecure (HTTP) content. This typically happens after installing an SSL certificate and configuring the site to use HTTPS, but some resources are still being loaded over HTTP.
Based on the expertise of the best SEO Company in India, mixed content can be caused by external resources or files being requested using HTTP instead of HTTPS. This can occur if URLs are hardcoded with HTTP in plugins or themes, such as in WordPress.
Solution: To resolve this error, ensure that all resources on your website are loaded using HTTPS. Update any hardcoded URLs to use HTTPS, and use HTTPS-compatible plugins and themes. Additionally, you can use browser developer tools to identify and fix mixed content issues.
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Name Mismatch Error
Error Description: This error occurs when the domain name listed in the SSL certificate does not match the URL you are trying to reach. This can happen if the certificate was issued for a different domain name or subdomain. For example, if your SSL certificate is issued for “yourdomain.com” but not for “www.yourdomain.com,” you may encounter this error.
Solution: To resolve this error, you can get help from the provider of the best SEO services in India. You can either obtain a new SSL certificate that covers the correct domain name(s) or update your website’s URL to match the domain name(s) listed in the certificate.
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SSL Certificate Not Trusted Error
Error Description: The SSL Certificate Not Trusted Error occurs when the SSL certificate has been issued by a company that your browser does not trust. This means that the Certificate Authority (CA) that issued the certificate is not present in the local trusted root certificates store.
The most reliable SEO company in India says that this error typically happens when the server issues a self-signed certificate, which is not a CA certificate. Browsers do not trust self-signed certificates, leading to the error.
Solution: To resolve this error, you can either obtain a valid SSL certificate from a trusted CA or add the CA that issued the certificate to your browser’s trusted root certificates store. This will allow your browser to trust the SSL certificate.
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Expired SSL Certificate Error
Error Description: The “Expired SSL Certificate” error occurs when the SSL certificate for your website has expired. This can happen if you forget to renew the certificate, as paid SSL certificates typically last for one year, while free ones like Let’s Encrypt are valid for three months.
Solution: Ensure your SSL certificate is up to date by renewing it before it expires. Some providers, like SiteGround, offer automatic renewal to maintain your website’s security and integrity.
How to Fix Common SSL Errors?
Encountering an SSL error on your website can hinder access and potentially harm your site’s SEO ranking. Addressing these errors is often what SEO experts focus on when offering SEO services in India or overseas. It’s essential in maintaining a positive user experience and preventing visitors from being deterred. Here’s how you can troubleshoot and resolve SSL errors:
- Ensure SSL Installation: Verify that you have an SSL certificate installed on your website. SiteGround clients can check and install SSL certificates from Site Tools > Security > SSL Manager.
- Reinstall the SSL: If accessing your website through a secure HTTPS connection fails, reinstalling the SSL certificate can resolve issues where the certificate is not trusted. SiteGround clients can do this in Site Tools > Security > SSL Manager.
- Diagnose with a Web SSL Checker: Use a web SSL checker to diagnose SSL errors on your website. These tools check the certificate’s chain of trust and provide information about its expiration date, hostname, and more.
- Renew Your SSL Certificate: Ensure that your SSL certificate is up to date and not expired. Promptly renewing your SSL certificate can prevent your site from becoming inaccessible.
- Change URLs to HTTPS: Update all URLs on your website to HTTPS instead of HTTP to avoid mixed content errors.
- Update Browser or OS Version: If you are experiencing SSL errors, particularly with Let’s Encrypt certificates, it may be due to outdated browser or operating system versions. Update your browser and operating system to a supported version.
- Install an Intermediate Certificate: If the browser cannot trace your SSL certificate back to the root certificate, you may need to install an intermediate certificate on your web server. Contact your SSL issuer for the CA Bundle and reinstall it if necessary.
- Generate a New Certificate Signing Request (CSR): If your SSL certificate is incorrectly installed, generating a new CSR and reinstalling the certificate may resolve the issue.
- Upgrade to a Dedicated IP Address: If you encounter a “Name Mismatch Error,” it may be because your site shares an IP address with other sites on a shared hosting account. Upgrading to a Dedicated IP address that only your site uses can resolve this issue.
We hope this article has been helpful in resolving any SSL issues you may have encountered on your website and improving your web security. If not, you should not hesitate to reach out to the best digital marketing company in India to resolve your issues. Should you have any questions or feedback, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below.
