Understanding Mixed Content Errors in WordPress After SSL Implementation
When you switch your WordPress website from HTTP to HTTPS by installing an SSL certificate, you may encounter mixed content errors. These errors occur when your website continues to load scripts, images, fonts, or other content over an unsecured HTTP connection. This not only affects your website’s security but also its credibility and SEO rankings.
1. Identify Mixed Content on Your WordPress Site
Before fixing the errors, you need to identify all the mixed content on your site. You can use browser tools or online scanners:
- Browser Developer Tools: Open your site in Google Chrome, right-click, select “Inspect” and go to the ‘Console’ tab. Look for warnings that say, “The page at [URL] was loaded over HTTPS, but requested an insecure element.”
- Online Checkers: Tools like ‘Why No Padlock?’ and ‘SSL Check’ scan your site for any insecure content loading over HTTP.
2. Fixing Mixed Content Errors Manually
Update WordPress URLs:
Navigate to your WordPress admin area, go to Settings > General. Here, ensure that the WordPress Address (URL) and Site Address (URL) are both set to use ‘https’ rather than ‘http’.
Manually Update Content and Database Links:
This involves searching for all HTTP links in your database and replacing them with HTTPS. You can use a plugin like ‘Better Search Replace’ for this. After installing the plugin:
- Go to Tools > Better Search Replace.
- Enter your website’s old URL with “http” in the ‘Search for’ field and the new URL with “https” in the ‘Replace with’ field.
- Select all database tables.
- Check the box to run a dry run first to see how many instances will be updated.
- Uncheck the dry run box to apply changes.
3. Use Plugins to Correct Mixed Content Automatically
Several WordPress plugins can help you automate the process, ensuring all content loads over HTTPS:
- Really Simple SSL: Automatically detects your settings and configures your website to run over https. It handles most issues regarding the mixed content errors automatically.
- SSL Insecure Content Fixer: This plugin cleans up most SSL issues with its various levels of functionalities. After installation, it offers several settings to specify how the content should be fixed, ranging from simple fixes to more complex handling of scripts and styles.
4. Update Theme and Plugin Files
Sometimes, themes and plugins can hard-code HTTP URLs in their files. You’ll need to:
- Check the source code (CSS or JavaScript files) for HTTP links. Use an FTP client to access your server, then manually update the URLs to HTTPS, or,
- Contact the theme or plugin author for an update or guidance on making the transition to HTTPS.
5. Modify .htaccess to Redirect HTTP to HTTPS
Ensure that all HTTP traffic gets redirected to HTTPS by configuring your .htaccess file if you’re on an Apache server. Add the following code at the top of your .htaccess file:
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{SERVER_PORT} 80
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://www.yoursite.com/$1 [R,L]
Make sure to replace “www.yoursite.com” with your actual domain name. For NGINX servers, you would have to add a server block to redirect HTTP to HTTPS.
6. Check Third-Party External Scripts
External scripts such as ads, font loaders, or social buttons are often loaded over HTTP. Update these to HTTPS by modifying their URLs in your site’s script calls or by contacting the external service for an HTTPS-compatible version.
7. Test Across Browsers and Devices
After making all changes, thoroughly test your website on different browsers and devices to ensure that all content loads correctly over HTTPS without security warnings.
By methodically addressing each instance of mixed content, you’ll enhance your website’s security, user trust, and potentially your SEO rankings due to increased site security. Each step helps ensure that your transition from HTTP to HTTPS is smooth and complete, safeguarding your data and that of your users.
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