Articles on: ​Web Hosting

How do I get a free Lets Encrypt SSL certificate for my website?

An SSL (Secure Socket Layer) certificate is required for the conversation between your website and a visitors browser to be secured. It's now best practise to load all sites over https:// rather than http:// - your visitors will see a secure padlock in their web browser and can be sure that data they enter into your contact form or purchases from your online store are secure.


Krystal offers free SSL certificates from Lets Encrypt™. You can issue these yourself from within your hosting cPanel. You will need your cPanel username and password to access this directly, or you can access cPanel from within the Hosting section of your Krystal Client Area.


  1. Access cPanel by visiting your domain with /cpanel on the end e.g. https://example.co.uk/cpanel - and then login.
  2. Click the Lets Encrypt™ SSL icon within the SECURITY section of cPanel



Not seeing a Lets Encrypt option? You may be on a newer server that uses AutoSSL. We have a step by step guide covering AutoSSL certificates here! (Internal link opens in a new tab)


  1. Click the +Issue link next to the domain for which you'd like to obtain your SSL certificate.


  2. In addition to the primary domain certificate, you can also add additional domains to the certificate by ticking their Include box.
    Finally, click the Issue button and your certificate will be issued.



Lets Encrypt™ does have the ability to issue wildcard certificates - that cover all subdomains - *.example.co.uk e.g. www.example.co.uk. However, unless you need this for a very specific reason it's often better to choose to either use www or non-www for your website and then force all visitors to use your preferred version. We have a separate knowledge base article that covers how to set up domain redirects.


Please be aware that if you complete this process before setting up your website (e.g. installing WordPress) then it's likely no further action is required and you can choose to use the https website address during the install or site build. However, if your site is currently up and running using http:// then you will need to perform further site-specific tasks to get it working correctly over https://For WordPress this can sometimes be achieved using a third-party plug-in like Really Simple SSL (external link opens in a new window), but it's often better to have a developer help you update the WordPress settings and database so that all resources are correctly served over https://


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Updated on: 24/01/2024

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