Introduction

A few years ago, the search algorithm of how websites are ranked on Google got changed. Google shared one of the important criteria for higher domain ranking - it has to utilize an SSL (Secure Socket Layer) certificate, and the website had to use the HTTPS protocol. This change made SSL certificates a vital part of a site, causing many developers and online business owners to implement SSLs for their domain names, ultimately preserving their rank or increasing it even further.

Activating an SSL has an advantageous security perk to it other than boosting your Google ranking. Configuring your Magento 2 Online Store to use HTTPS will encrypt the connection between the web server and the client browser, making it impossible for hackers to acquire personal information by exploiting the data exchange. The HTTPS protocol is especially useful on websites that accept payments, making it mandatory for Magento 2. An SSL certificate will increase visitors’ confidence in your Magento website, as they will feel secure when submitting their credit card information on your order forms.

As the leader amongst e-commerce applications, Magento 2 has a built-in way of activating the SSL certificate you installed. Knowing how to enable it is essential in boosting the website’s rank and keeping your visitors safe from sensitive information embezzlement. This tutorial will go over the method to activate the SSL certificate on your Magento eCommerce without the need to have any technical knowledge whatsoever. Let’s get started.

Getting Started

To begin the process, you need to log into your Magento 2 Administrative Area. The URL address of your Magento Admin Dashboard will vary, depending on what you have chosen during the installation process. If you are not sure which one it is, you can go to the root directory of your website and execute the following command:

cat app/etc/env.php | grep frontName | cut -d '>' -f2

From the command output, please copy the text inside the single quotes. Afterward, go to your browser and input “yourmagentostore.com/text-inside-the-single-quotes” replacing “yourmagentostore.com” with your actual domain name and the “text-inside-the-single-quotes” with the output of the command we mentioned above. 

This action will redirect you to the admin page, where you need to enter your login information to access the dashboard.

Enabling the SSL for Magento 2

Once logged, please select the “Stores” option from the left-hand side menu. When expanded, click on “Configuration”.

This action will redirect you to the store configuration page. After you land there, select the “Web” option from the side menu located on the left. Clicking on it will reveal a couple of drop-down menus in the middle. Please expand the “Base URLs (Secure)” menu.

The drop-down will unveil a lot of settings. To enable your SSL and force HTTPS on your Magento 2 store in both the frontend and admin area, please modify the “Secure Base URL” to your domain name with “https://” instead of “http://”, and the “Use Secure URLs on Storefront” and “Use Secure URLs in Admin” options change to “Yes”.

When ready, please do not forget to press the “Save Config” button located on the top right side of the page.

Test your website, and now it should be fully accessible via HTTPS. If this is not the case, please clear your Magento 2 cache and your browser’s cache.

Congratulations, you have now enabled the SSL certificate for Magento 2, and your website configured over the secure HTTPS protocol. If you have any issues with this process or require any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact our technical team by submitting a ticket through your Client Area.