How to Install Your Free SSL Certificate (HTTPS Padlock)

AutoHost uses AutoSSL: cPanel requests a free, browser-trusted certificate for each of your domains and renews it automatically before it expires (certificates last about 90 days). Usually it is already active within an hour of your domain pointing to us — this guide shows how to check, how to trigger it manually, and how to make HTTPS compulsory.

Before you start

• Your domain must point to our servers. AutoSSL proves you control the domain by checking it resolves to your hosting. If you only just changed nameservers to ns1.asushost.cam and ns2.asushost.cam, allow time for DNS to update (often 2–6 hours in Kenya, up to 48 hours worldwide).
• Both yourbusiness.co.ke and www.yourbusiness.co.ke must resolve. They do by default on our DNS. If you manage DNS elsewhere (e.g. Cloudflare), make sure www has a record too.
• No CAA record blocking issuers. If you added a CAA DNS record yourself, it must allow the certificate authority cPanel uses. If unsure, ask us.

Step 1: Check your SSL status

In cPanel, go to Security → SSL/TLS Status. You will see every domain and subdomain on your account with a coloured icon:

• 🟢 Green padlock — AutoSSL Domain Validated: protected. Nothing to do.
• 🟡 Yellow — expiring soon / pending: AutoSSL will renew it on its next run.
• 🔴 Red — not secured / self-signed: no valid certificate yet. Continue to Step 2.

Step 2: Run AutoSSL

Click Run AutoSSL at the top of the page. cPanel contacts the certificate authority and checks each domain. This usually takes 2–5 minutes. Refresh the page — the red items should turn green.

If a domain stays red, hover over or click the status text. cPanel explains why — for example “DNS DCV: The domain resolved to an IP address that does not exist on this server.” That means the domain is not pointing to us yet; see the troubleshooting table below.

Step 3: Force everyone onto HTTPS

Having a certificate is not enough — visitors who type yourbusiness.co.ke without https:// should be redirected automatically.

1. Go to Domains → Domains.
2. Find your domain and switch Force HTTPS Redirect to On (it turns green).
3. Repeat for any addon domains and subdomains.

Alternative: force HTTPS with .htaccess

If you prefer code (or use a custom setup), add this at the very top of public_html/.htaccess and leave the cPanel toggle Off:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} !=on
RewriteRule ^ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]

Step 4: WordPress — switch the site address to https

If your site runs WordPress, tell it to use HTTPS too, otherwise some pages and images will still load over http://:

1. Log in at https://yourbusiness.co.ke/wp-admin.
2. Settings → General. Change WordPress Address (URL) and Site Address (URL) to start with https://.
3. Click Save Changes and log in again.

Step 5: Check the padlock

1. Open http://yourbusiness.co.ke (deliberately without the s). It should jump to https:// and show a padlock.
2. Click the padlock → Connection is secure → Certificate is valid.
3. For a full report, enter your domain at ssllabs.com/ssltest. A grade A is what you want.
4. Check a few inner pages and your contact form. If the padlock is missing or shows a warning on some pages, you have mixed content — see Fix mixed content warnings.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Likely cause	Fix
AutoSSL says domain “resolved to an IP address that does not exist on this server”	Domain does not point to AutoHost (yet)	Set nameservers to ns1.asushost.cam / ns2.asushost.cam or point the A record to your server IP; wait for DNS, then Run AutoSSL
www works but bare domain does not (or the reverse)	Missing DNS record for one of them	Add the missing A/CNAME record in Zone Editor
“Too many redirects” after enabling HTTPS	Two redirect methods, or Cloudflare set to Flexible	Keep one method; set Cloudflare SSL mode to Full (strict)
Padlock with a warning triangle	Mixed content (http images/scripts)	See Fix mixed content warnings
Certificate expired	Domain stopped pointing to us at renewal time	Fix DNS, then Run AutoSSL
Need an EV, OV or wildcard certificate	Bank, SACCO or large e-commerce requirements	Ask us — we offer commercial SSL certificates

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to pay for SSL?
No. Free AutoSSL is included on every plan, including the Free plan, and renews automatically.

Does SSL cover my email too?
Yes — mail.yourbusiness.co.ke gets a certificate as well, so email apps connect securely without warnings.

Will HTTPS affect my Google ranking?
Positively. Google treats HTTPS as a ranking signal and Chrome labels HTTP pages “Not secure”.