Guide
Website Says “Not Secure”? How to Fix SSL Certificate Warnings
Browsers showing “Not Secure” or “Your connection is not private” on your site? Here is what each warning means and how to fix the certificate, redirects and mixed content.
Short answer: “Not Secure” means the page isn’t fully on HTTPS: either there is no valid SSL certificate, it expired or doesn’t match the domain, or some images and scripts still load over plain HTTP. Install a free auto-renewing certificate, redirect all traffic to HTTPS and fix any mixed content.
What the warnings mean
- “Not Secure” in the address bar: the page loaded over HTTP or has mixed content.
- “Your connection is not private” (full-page warning): the certificate expired, doesn’t match the domain or isn’t trusted.
- Padlock with a warning: the page is HTTPS but loads some files over HTTP.
How to fix it
- Check the certificate’s expiry date and domain using your browser’s padlock or an online SSL checker.
- Turn on a free, auto-renewing certificate through your host or Cloudflare.
- Make sure both the www and non-www versions are covered.
- Redirect every HTTP request to HTTPS.
- Update links to images, scripts and fonts so they use https://.
- Set up renewal monitoring so it never expires silently again.
Why it matters
Browsers scare visitors away from “Not Secure” pages, forms can’t be trusted, and search engines favor secure sites.
We fix certificate problems remotely, usually the same day. See SSL certificate and “Not Secure” warning fixes.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to pay for an SSL certificate?
Usually not. Free certificates that renew automatically are trusted by every browser and work for most sites.
Why did my certificate stop working when nothing changed?
Certificates expire, and automatic renewal can fail after a DNS or hosting change. Monitoring catches it before visitors do.