Websites · Glossary
What is an SSL certificate?
An SSL certificate, now properly called a TLS certificate, is a small digital file that proves a website controls its domain and lets browsers connect over HTTPS, encrypting everything between the visitor and the site. Without one, browsers label the site not secure, and many features, such as forms and payments, refuse to work.
SSL is the old name of the protocol; TLS replaced it long ago, but the term SSL certificate stuck. What matters is the padlock and the https at the start of the address.
Nuwan Madhusanka · Co-founder
3 min read · Published
What the certificate does
It does two jobs. It proves to the browser that the server really answers for that domain, because a certificate authority checked control of the domain before issuing it. And it provides the keys used to encrypt the connection, so nobody on the network can read or change what is sent, such as form entries.
Why every site needs one
Browsers mark plain HTTP pages as not secure, search engines prefer HTTPS pages, and modern browser features such as service workers and many payment pages only work over HTTPS. A brochure site with a contact form still needs one, because names and messages travel through it.
Paid versus free certificates
Most certificates today are domain validated and issued automatically at no cost by authorities such as Let's Encrypt or by hosting platforms themselves. Paid certificates with organisation validation exist for specific needs, but they do not make the padlock any stronger for visitors of a small business site.
Common mistakes
Letting a manually installed certificate expire, which shows visitors a full page warning. Loading images or scripts over plain HTTP on an HTTPS page, which causes mixed content warnings. And a CAA record in DNS that only allows one authority, which blocks a platform from issuing its own certificate.
Where it shows up in OneCraft
Every published site is served over HTTPS on its onecraft.live address. When you connect a custom domain, a managed certificate is requested after the domain is verified, and the domain goes live once the certificate is issued; renewals happen without you. If issuing fails, the status mentions a possible CAA record, and failures are reported 24 hours after verification.
Questions people ask
Do I need to buy an SSL certificate for my small business site?
Usually not. Most website platforms issue and renew certificates automatically for free, both on their own addresses and on custom domains you connect. Buying one only makes sense for special cases, such as hosting your own server and wanting organisation validation details in the certificate.
What does not secure mean in the browser?
It means the page loaded over plain HTTP without encryption, or that the certificate has a problem. Visitors see a warning in the address bar and may leave. Fix it by serving the site over HTTPS with a valid certificate and redirecting HTTP addresses to HTTPS.
How long does an SSL certificate last?
Publicly trusted certificates have limited lifetimes, commonly around 90 days for automated ones and longer for some paid ones, and the industry is moving to shorter lifetimes. That is why automatic renewal matters: a platform that renews for you removes the risk of a lapse.
What is a CAA record?
A DNS record that lists which certificate authorities may issue certificates for your domain. If it names only one authority and your platform uses another, issuing fails. Either remove the CAA record or add the authority your platform uses, as its error message or help page describes.
Does HTTPS make my site rank higher?
HTTPS is a lightweight ranking signal for Google, and its absence brings browser warnings that drive visitors away. It is a baseline rather than a boost: useful content and a fast page matter far more, but no serious site should be without HTTPS today.
Make one with websites
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Create a website with OneCraftRelated questions
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- What is a CNAME record?What is a CNAME record? A DNS entry that points one name, like www.yourdomain.com, at another name. What it does, why builders ask for one, and the apex catch.
Written and checked by the OneCraft team. Last checked .