How to Update an SSL Certificate

A Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate is an essential web security protocol that encrypts the data that passes between browsers and servers. However, most certificates are only valid for one or two years. Therefore, there will come a time when you’ll need to update your SSL certificate.

This can be a tricky process, especially if you’ve never done it before. There are several steps involved, including generating a certificate signing request and validating the domain the certificate covers. That said, you might have the option to enable automatic SSL renewal which makes things a lot easier.

In this post, we’ll take a closer look at why you should update your SSL certificate. Then, we’ll discuss the steps to do it manually and show you how to set up automatic renewals instead. Let’s get started!

Why You Need to Update Your SSL Certificate

An SSL certificate encrypts data that gets transmitted between browsers and servers. This makes the data unreadable so that if it gets intercepted by hackers, no sensitive or confidential information will be revealed.

Many website owners get free SSL certificates from their web hosting provider when they sign up for a hosting service. You can also get yours from certificate authorities like Let’s Encrypt:

The problem is that when you obtain an SSL certificate, it will only be valid for a limited time.

Typically, certificates expire after one or two years. After that, you won’t have access to the encryption protocol unless you renew the certificate.

When you renew SSL certificate, it will reflect the latest security standards and replace the security key (which is a string of random numbers and letters that disguises the data). This makes it more difficult for hackers to compromise the key and access the data.

If you have an expired SSL certificate, search engines will present security warnings when visitors try to access your site. For example, Google Chrome often displays a “Not Secure” notice for websites that don’t protect users’ security and privacy with an SSL certificate.

How to Update Your SSL Certificate Manually (4 Steps)

Now that you know why SSL certificates are important for websites, let’s take a look at how to update SSL certificate. The renewal process will differ based on your certificate provider, but we’ll discuss the general steps below.

1. Check the Expiration Date

Naturally, if you’re going to renew your SSL certificate, you need to know when it’s due to expire. The good news is that most certificate providers send email alerts reminding you when the certificate expires.

However, you’ll need to make sure that you have email alerts enabled with your certificate authority or your web hosting provider. These emails will contain links to kickstart the renewal process.

Even if your certificate hasn’t yet expired, it’s still best to renew it as soon as possible. This is because certain certificates (like extended validation certificates) require approval, which can take a few weeks.

It’s important that you don’t end up without data encryption, even if it’s only temporary.

2. Generate a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) and Purchase a New Certificate

Before you can renew your SSL certificate, you need to generate a certificate signing request (CSR). This is an encrypted block of text that contains information about your website including your domain name, business name, geographic location, and so on.

Your chosen certificate authority needs this information to fulfill your request. Now, if you’re getting a new SSL certificate via your web host, you might be able to generate CSR through your web hosting control panel. If not, you can contact your web host or certificate authority.

Once you’ve done this, you can purchase a new SSL certificate from any provider. You’ll have to supply all the requested information (including your new CSR).

3. Validate the Domain that the Certificate Covers

Even when you’ve paid for your SSL certificate, it won’t become active until you’ve completed the process of domain control validation (DCV). Essentially, you’ll need to validate domain ownership with your identity and organization name.

Most authorities provide multiple options to confirm your identity, including via email. This means you’ll receive an email on the address that your site is registered on. Then, all you have to do is follow the instructions in the email.

The process is typically straightforward if you’ve purchased a basic SSL certificate like a domain validated certificate. But, if you’ve chosen a more complex or expensive certificate (like an extended validation certificate), you’ll likely need to provide additional information about your organization (or supply extra documents).

4. Install the Updated SSL Certificate

Once the domain control validation process is complete, you should receive your SSL files via email. The time it takes depends on your certificate type. Simple cases may be ready in a few hours, but more complex certificates can take a few weeks.

If you’ve requested a new SSL certificate via your web host, the provider should automatically install it for you. If not, check your server documentation for how to upload the certificate. Then, you can see whether the certificate is working properly.

To do this, visit different pages of your site. In the browser bar, there should be a lock icon next to your domain name:

Additionally, when you click in the address bar, you should see the “https” prefix listed before your domain.

If you don’t see this, your site does not have SSL protection. In this case, you’ll need to contact your web host or certificate authority.

How to Set Up Automatic SSL Renewals

If you’re worried about remembering to renew your SSL certificate, you can set up automatic renewals. This ensures that your website will never go without a valid SSL certificate which can compromise the security and privacy of your customers.

Most quality web hosting providers offer this feature, but NameHero makes it super easy and convenient:

NameHero provides a range of web hosting plans, many of which come with free and auto-installed SSL certificates. Plus, you can also get a free domain, daily backups, and free website migrations (from your existing hosting server).

When you sign up for a hosting plan, you’ll need to set your nameservers correctly (although you can do this in the client area later). Then, in cPanel, the SSL module will automatically verify your domain, generate the SSL certificate, and install it on your hosting package.

You can check the status of your certificate every time you log into the cPanel dashboard. There will be a green lock next to each of your domains or subdomains. If you don’t see the lock, you can manually run auto SSL which only takes a few minutes to complete.

Conclusion

Without a valid SSL certificate, it’s much easier for hackers to intercept and steal sensitive data from your website. Therefore, it’s crucial to update your SSL certificate before it’s set to expire. 

To recap, here are four steps to update an SSL certificate manually:

1. Check the expiration date.
2. Generate a new CSR and purchase a new certificate.
3. Validate domain ownership.
4. Install the updated SSL certificate. 

As you can see, this process is quite extensive, and it can be overwhelming if you don’t have prior experience. Therefore, it’s best to choose a web hosting provider like NameHero that automatically installs (and renews) your SSL certificate for you. Check out the plans available!