To enable SSL on your website, your Hostking hosting plan already includes a free SSL certificate from Let's Encrypt, which is issued and renewed automatically. You don't need a dedicated IP address or to buy a separate certificate. This article shows how to check its status and turn it on in cPanel or DirectAdmin, depending on which control panel your plan uses.
Which control panel do I have?
Web Hosting, WordPress Hosting and Linux Reseller plans use DirectAdmin. cPanel Reseller plans use cPanel. If you're not sure, check your welcome email or log in to the client area to see which panel is listed for your account.
Enable SSL in cPanel (AutoSSL)
cPanel uses a feature called AutoSSL to issue and install free Let's Encrypt certificates for your domains.
- Log in to cPanel and open SSL/TLS Status.
- Select the checkboxes next to the domains or subdomains you want to secure.
- Click Run AutoSSL.
- Wait up to an hour for validation and installation to complete.
You can also enable SSL for a single domain without running a full scan. On the SSL/TLS Status page, find the domain under Certificate Status, and if it shows "Include during AutoSSL", click this option to turn it on. Once enabled, the label changes to "Exclude from AutoSSL".
cPanel troubleshooting
- If an old, invalid or expired certificate is already installed, AutoSSL will not replace it automatically. Go to SSL/TLS, open Manage SSL Sites, remove the old certificate, then return to SSL/TLS Status and run AutoSSL again.
- Make sure your domain's DNS points to your Hostking server before requesting a certificate, otherwise validation will fail.
- If the Run AutoSSL option isn't visible at all, the feature may need to be enabled on your account. Contact us through live chat or a support ticket and we'll check this for you.
Enable SSL in DirectAdmin (Let's Encrypt)
- Log in to DirectAdmin and go to Account Manager, then click SSL Certificates.
- Click Free & automatic certificate from Let's Encrypt (shown as "Get automatic certificate from ACME Provider" on some versions).
- Select the domain you want to secure, and tick any subdomains you'd like included under the same certificate.
- Click Save.
The certificate is issued and installed automatically within a few seconds, and you'll see a confirmation message once it's done.
Force all visitors to use HTTPS
Once your certificate is active, you can make sure visitors are always sent to the secure version of your site.
- Go to Account Manager > Domain Setup, or scroll to the bottom of the SSL Certificates page.
- Tick the Force HTTPS checkbox and save.
This redirects HTTP requests to HTTPS at server level, which still works even if your site's .htaccess file is later overwritten.
DirectAdmin troubleshooting
- Only select subdomains that currently point to your Hostking server. Including one that doesn't will cause the whole request to fail.
- If your domain's nameservers or DNS records still point to a previous host, the certificate request will fail with a validation error. Update your DNS first, then try again.
After enabling SSL on a WordPress site
Installing SSL doesn't automatically switch your WordPress site to use it. You usually need to update your site address as well.
- In wp-admin, go to Settings > General.
- Check the WordPress Address (URL) and Site Address (URL) fields.
- If either starts with
http://, change it tohttps://for both fields. - Click Save Changes.
If this change locks you out of wp-admin due to a redirect loop, the URLs can be forced to use HTTPS by editing your site's wp-config.php file. If you're not comfortable editing this file, contact us for assistance.
Browser still shows "not secure"
If your padlock icon shows the connection isn't fully secure after enabling SSL, this is usually caused by mixed content. WordPress stores full web addresses in its database, so images, links or scripts added before you switched to HTTPS may still point to http://. Search your database for old http:// links and replace them with https://, or edit any hard-coded links in your theme or widget content.
Common SSL problems and fixes
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate request fails | Domain's DNS doesn't point to the server yet | Confirm the domain's A record points to your Hostking server, then retry |
| Request fails with an existing certificate present | Old self-signed or expired certificate installed | Remove the old certificate first, then request a new one |
| Browser still shows "not secure" | Site content still loads some files over http:// | Update your WordPress site address and replace hard-coded http:// links |
| Redirect loop after forcing HTTPS | Both server-level and site-level redirects are active, or a CDN's SSL setting conflicts | Use only one redirect method and check any CDN's SSL mode |
Let's Encrypt certificates are valid for 90 days and are checked and renewed automatically, so you shouldn't need to repeat these steps unless there's an issue. If SSL still won't enable after trying the steps above, contact us via live chat or open a support ticket from the client area and we'll investigate.
