Free SSL is now included with all web hosting plans

If you have ever looked at your browser’s address bar and noticed a padlock icon next to a website’s URL, that padlock is SSL at work. Until recently, getting an SSL certificate meant paying extra for it, configuring it manually, or relying on your host to include it as part of a premium tier. We have changed that. Free SSL is now included as standard across all UWH web hosting plans.

This post covers what SSL actually does, why it matters for your site and your visitors, and what the change means in practice.

What SSL does for your site

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is the technology that encrypts data passing between a visitor’s browser and your web server. When SSL is active, that data, whether it is a contact form submission, a login credential or a payment detail, cannot be read by anyone intercepting the connection. The padlock in the browser address bar is the visible sign that this encryption is in place.

Without SSL, data travels in plain text. Anyone positioned between the visitor and your server, on a shared Wi-Fi network, for example, could read it. For sites that handle any kind of user input, that is a meaningful risk.

Why browsers and search engines care

SSL stopped being optional the moment major browsers started flagging non-HTTPS sites as “Not Secure.” Chrome, Firefox and Safari all display a warning when a visitor lands on a page that collects data over an unencrypted connection. For many visitors, that warning is enough to make them leave.

Google has also confirmed that HTTPS is a ranking signal. Sites served over HTTPS have a small but real advantage in search results over equivalent sites that are not. For a new site trying to build visibility, or an established one trying to maintain it, running without SSL puts you at a disadvantage you do not need.

What changes for existing customers

If you are already hosting with us, free SSL is available to you now. You do not need to upgrade your plan or purchase a separate certificate. The SSL is provisioned through AutoSSL in cPanel, which handles installation and renewal automatically. Once active, your site will be accessible over HTTPS without any manual certificate management on your part.

For WordPress sites, you may need to update your site URL settings and add a redirect rule to send HTTP traffic to HTTPS. Our guide on forcing HTTPS in WordPress walks through both steps. If you run into anything unexpected, our Let’s Encrypt SSL setup guide covers the broader installation process.

When a paid SSL certificate still makes sense

The free SSL included with your hosting plan is a domain-validated certificate. It encrypts the connection and activates the padlock, which is what most sites need. For e-commerce sites, financial services or any business where visitors need additional assurance about who they are dealing with, an extended validation (EV) or organisation-validated (OV) certificate goes further. These certificates display verified business information and are issued only after identity checks against official records.

If your site takes payments or handles sensitive personal data, it is worth considering whether a higher-assurance certificate better fits your situation. You can see the options available on our SSL certificates page.

For the majority of sites, including blogs, portfolios, small business sites and informational pages, the included free SSL covers everything you need.

SSL is now a baseline expectation for any site on the web. Including it as standard removes a barrier that should not have existed in the first place. If you are on one of our cPanel hosting plans and have not yet activated SSL, log in to cPanel and check the AutoSSL section, or take a look at our AutoSSL guide for the full process.

If you have questions about SSL or need a hand getting it set up, the UWH support team is available to help.