GoDaddy SSL certificate not working: "Not secure" after you bought it

You paid for the certificate and the browser still says "Not secure". Most of the time the certificate is fine. One of four things is wrong.

What to do, in order

  1. Check it was installed, not just bought. In your GoDaddy account open SSL Certificates. If the status says "Pending" or "Ready to install", it is not on the server yet. On cPanel hosting you install it under SSL/TLS, Manage SSL sites.
  2. Check the name matches. A certificate for yoursite.com does not cover www.yoursite.com unless both are listed. Click the padlock or warning, open the certificate, read the names.
  3. Force https. If the certificate is there but people land on http, add a redirect. On cPanel: Domains, Force HTTPS Redirect. On WordPress also change both addresses in Settings, General to https.
  4. Fix mixed content. If the padlock is missing on an https page, the page loads an image or script over plain http. Open the browser console (F12) and look for "Mixed Content" lines. Change those links to https.
  5. Using Cloudflare in front? Set SSL mode to "Full (strict)", not "Flexible", or you will get a redirect loop.

If it still fails, send me the address and I will tell you which of the four it is.

Want the rest of your site checked after it is back? Run a free 40-point check at tinkeraudit.com.