If you have ever seen a "connection not secure" warning when visiting a website, you know the effect: doubt, abandonment, and zero trust. An SSL certificate prevents that by encrypting communication between your site and its visitors, activating the browser padlock, and turning your domain into HTTPS. Today it is a requirement for trust, SEO, and often legal compliance.
Certificates expire. When they do without renewal, your site may stop loading, Google may warn visitors, and contact forms stop generating leads. At aatsoft, a web development agency in Manresa (Barcelona), we review certificates on every project we maintain.
What is an SSL certificate and why your website needs one
SSL (technically TLS) encrypts data between the visitor's browser and your server. Without it, browsers mark your site as "not secure" and Google ranks you below HTTPS competitors.
How to check if your SSL certificate is valid
- Closed padlock and
https://URL in the address bar. - Check expiry date by clicking the padlock.
- Use SSL Labs to analyse your domain.
- Monitor Google Search Console for certificate or mixed-content issues.
Types of SSL certificate
- DV: domain validation, free with Let's Encrypt.
- OV: organisation validation.
- EV: extended validation.
- Wildcard: covers all subdomains.
How to renew before it expires
- Confirm your hosting renews Let's Encrypt automatically.
- Set up Certbot cron if you manage the server.
- Configure alerts 30, 14, and 7 days before expiry.
- Verify in incognito after renewal.
What to do if it has already expired
- Renew from hosting panel or run
certbot renew --force-renewal. - Restart the web server and clear CDN cache.
- Check on multiple devices and review Search Console.
Common mistakes
- Mixed content (HTTP resources on HTTPS pages).
- Certificate for wrong domain variant (www vs non-www).
- Unprotected subdomains.
- Blind trust in auto-renewal without quarterly checks.
How we help at aatsoft
We configure and monitor SSL certificates as part of web maintenance.
Request a security review of your website. See our web development services.
