Keep the padlock on, and the hackers out

The honest answer: you may already have SSL

Many hosting plans now include a free SSL certificate, including our Deluxe and Ultimate cPanel plans and every managed WordPress plan. Open your website and look at the address bar. If you see a padlock and https://, you have SSL. If Chrome says “Not secure”, you need it switched on, today.

Pick your protection

Need organization-validated or wildcard certificates? See all SSL options.

A 10-minute security check you can do yourself

1. Open your site in Chrome. Padlock and https://? Good.
2. Search Google for site:yourbusiness.com. Any pages you didn’t create (pills, casinos, foreign text) mean you’ve been hacked.
3. Log in to your website and update WordPress, your theme and every plugin. Delete plugins you don’t use.
4. Make sure every admin account uses a long, unique password and two-step login.
5. Confirm you have a backup from this week, stored somewhere other than the website itself.

SSL and security questions owners ask

Do I need an SSL certificate for my small business website?

Yes. Without one, Chrome and other browsers label your site ‘Not secure’, which scares off customers before they read a word, and Google has used HTTPS as a ranking signal since 2014. Any page with a contact or booking form needs it.

Is a free SSL certificate good enough?

For most small business websites, yes. A free domain-validated certificate encrypts the connection exactly like a paid one. Our Deluxe and Ultimate cPanel plans and every WordPress plan include free SSL. Pay for a separate certificate only if your host doesn’t include one or you need organization validation.

What's the difference between SSL and website security?

SSL encrypts information travelling between your visitor and your site. It doesn’t stop hackers, malware or spam injections. Website security adds a firewall, malware scanning and cleanup if something gets through.

How do I know if my website has been hacked?

Common signs: Google shows a ‘This site may be hacked’ warning, visitors get redirected to strange sites, unknown pages appear in Google results, or your host suspends the account. Many hacks are invisible to the owner, which is why regular malware scanning matters.

What happens when an SSL certificate expires?

Visitors see a full-page browser warning and most of them leave. Certificates now need renewing more often than they used to, so automatic renewal is worth having.

Does website security slow my site down?

A good firewall with a CDN usually makes a site faster, because it filters bad traffic and serves pages from servers closer to your visitors.

Sources: Google Search Central blog, HTTPS as a ranking signal (2014); Chrome Help, connection security. Zolo prices checked November 2026; they exclude taxes and ICANN fees, and the term you choose at checkout can change the monthly rate.