An SSL certificate is a file installed on your server that encrypts everything travelling between it and your visitor, turning your address from http into https so a padlock appears instead of a "not secure" warning. And most sites need the free certificate, not a paid one: the same encryption, the same padlock.
Without it, the browser shows an explicit warning before your visitor reads a line, and Google ranks you lower.
What it actually does
Without a certificate, what your visitor types into a form or a checkout travels as readable text that anyone intercepting it can read. With one, it travels encrypted.
It does three things:
Encrypts passwords, form data and card details.
Proves the visitor is connected to your server, not one impersonating your address.
Prevents tampering in transit — such as ad injection by a public Wi-Fi network.
Free vs paid — the real difference
This is what sales pages do not say plainly:
| Free (Let's Encrypt) | Paid | |
|---|---|---|
| Encryption strength | Identical | Identical |
| Browser padlock | Yes | Yes |
| Renewal | Automatic, every 90 days | Usually manual, yearly |
| Organisation identity check | No | Yes on higher tiers |
| Financial warranty | No | Yes (largely theoretical) |
| Price | Zero | Tens to hundreds of dollars |
The encryption is identical. That is the whole point: someone selling you a hundred-dollar certificate is not selling you stronger encryption.
So when do you buy one? Roughly two cases: a financial or government body that needs verified organisation identity inside the certificate, or a company that wants the warranty for contractual reasons. Your brochure site or small store is neither.
How to enable it
Most hosting providers give it in a click:
- Open your control panel.
- Look for "SSL" or "Let's Encrypt".
- Select your domain and enable.
- Wait a few minutes, then open your site over
https.
Then do not skip two steps many people miss:
Redirect http to https — otherwise the old address keeps working and you have two versions of your site.
Fix mixed content. An image or file loaded over http inside an https page breaks the padlock. Search your database for http://yoursite links and replace them.
Prices on this page are read from our table the moment you open it, not typed into the text. Check the comparison page for the latest figures before buying.
Quick answers
Does it make my site secure? No. It secures the road between visitor and server; it does nothing about a compromised plugin or a weak password. Security is broader than a certificate — start with regular backups.
Does it affect search ranking? Yes, a declared ranking signal for years. Its bigger effect is that visitors do not flee a warning.
Does it slow the site? Not in practice. The tiny overhead is more than repaid by HTTP/2, which only works with it.
Why 90 days? A short automatic renewal is safer than a yearly certificate someone forgets. Most providers renew it without your involvement — check that auto-renewal is on.
Do I need one per subdomain? Either one each, or a "wildcard" certificate covering all of them.
Ask before buying
- Is the free certificate included and enabled automatically?
- Is renewal automatic?
- Does it cover subdomains?
Most modern plans answer yes to all three. If a provider calls SSL a "paid add-on", that alone is reason to look elsewhere — see the comparison page.
| Plans that include it | Per month | |
|---|---|---|
| Stellar — Namecheap | EGP 116 | Offer |
| Premium — Hostinger | EGP 79 | Offer |
The short answer
Enable the free one today, redirect http to https, and confirm auto-renewal. That is everything ninety-nine sites in a hundred need.
And do not pay for a certificate unless you know exactly why — and "to be more secure" is not a reason.
Read next: What is web hosting? · The best hosting company · Cheapest web hosting · Hosting contract terms · Compare plans
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