When you need to secure your website with a SSL certificate from a reputable host like HostGator, you’ll want to take advantage of their easy-to-use certificate management tools. Here’s how to do it:
1. Sign in to your HostGator account.
2. Click the “Server” tab in your account.
3. Under “Certificates,” click the “Add a Certificate” button.
4. Enter the details for your new certificate, and click the “Create” button.
5. Copy the “Private Key” and “Public Key” text boxes, and click the “Download” button.
6. Save the files to a safe place, and install the certificate on your website.
7. Click the “SSL” tab on your website, and enter the “Private Key” and “Public Key” values from step 5 into the “SSL Certificate” and “SSL Certificate Chain” fields, respectively.
8. Click the “OK” button to save your changes.
9. Click the “Test” button to verify that your site is using the correct SSL certificate.
10. Click the “Settings” button, and change the “SSL” setting to “On.”
11. Click the “Update Site” button to apply your changes.
12. Click the “SSL” tab again, and click the “SSL Certificate History” link to view the history of your SSL certificate.
13. Click the “SSL” tab one last time, and click the “SSL Certificate Settings” link to view your certificate’s settings.
14. Under “SSL Settings,” click the “Server Name” field, and enter the server name of your website in the “Server Name (FQDN)” field.
15. Under “SSL Settings,” click the “Certificate Path” field, and enter the path to your certificate file in the “Certificate Path” field.
16. Under “SSL Settings,” click the “SSL Certificates” field, and select the certificate you just downloaded from HostGator in the “SSL Certificate” field.
17. Under “SSL Settings,” click the “Valid From” field, and enter the date that your SSL certificate expires in the “Valid From” field.
18. Under “SSL Settings,” click the “Certificate Key” field, and enter the key associated with your SSL certificate in the “Certificate Key” field.
19. Click the “SSL” tab on your website again, and click the “SSL Test” link to check that your website is using the correct SSL certificate.
20. Click the “SSL” tab one last time, and click the “SSL Settings” link to view your certificate’s settings.
21. Click the “SSL” tab on your website again, and click the “View Site” link to view your website’s security certificate.
