GuideHosting & domains
SSL/TLS certificates: what they do and how to keep them valid
By Inara Crest Engineering 1 min read
Certificates encrypt traffic and prove your site's identity. Automate renewal and cover every name your site uses.
The padlock in the browser means the connection between visitor and website is encrypted and the site has a valid certificate for its name.
1. What a certificate does
- **Encrypts** data in transit, protecting logins, forms and payments.
- **Authenticates** the site, so visitors know they reached the real domain.
Browsers warn visitors when a site has no certificate or an expired one, and many will leave.
2. Cover every name
Make sure the certificate covers all the names people use: example.co.ke and www.example.co.ke, plus any sub-domains such as portal or mail services.
3. Automate renewal
Certificates expire. Hosting control panels and modern servers can renew certificates automatically — enable it, and monitor expiry dates for anything renewed manually.
4. Redirect to HTTPS
Send all HTTP traffic to HTTPS so visitors always use the encrypted version.
5. Check the configuration
Use an online TLS checker to confirm the certificate chain is complete and outdated protocols are disabled.
Get hosting with SSL on MavenHost (opens in a new tab), or ask us to review your set-up.
About the author
Inara Crest Engineering
Engineering team
Written by the Inara Crest Technologies engineering team, who design, install and support software, network, security, power and data centre systems for organisations in Kenya and East Africa.