To verify if your site uses HTTPS for secure connections on every page, you can follow these steps:
1. Check the Site’s URL (Manually)
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Look at the URL in the Browser:
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Open your website in a browser and check if the URL starts with
https://
instead ofhttp://
. -
When HTTPS is used, you should see a padlock icon in the browser’s address bar. This indicates that the connection is secure.
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Check All Pages:
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You need to ensure that every page of the site uses HTTPS, not just the homepage. This includes internal links, resources (like images, scripts, and stylesheets), and any forms.
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2. Use Google Search Console (Manual Check)
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Crawl the Site for HTTPS:
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In Google Search Console, go to "Settings" > "Property Settings".
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Under the "Preferred Domain" section, confirm that the HTTPS version of your website is set as the preferred version (if you've set up the property for both
http
andhttps
versions).
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Search for HTTP URLs:
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In the "Coverage" report, check if any pages are being served over
http://
. If there are pages withhttp://
URLs, you might have mixed content, meaning some pages or assets are not fully switched to HTTPS.
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3. Check for Mixed Content
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Mixed Content occurs when a webpage is served over HTTPS but contains resources (images, scripts, etc.) that are loaded over HTTP. This can cause security warnings in browsers and might indicate that the page isn’t fully secure.
To check for mixed content:
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Open your site in Chrome, right-click on the page, and click "Inspect" (or press Ctrl+Shift+I).
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Go to the Console tab to see if there are any warnings about mixed content. If you see messages like "Mixed Content: The page at 'https://...' was loaded over HTTPS, but requested an insecure script", then those resources are not being served over HTTPS.
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4. Check with Online Tools
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SSL Labs' SSL Test:
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You can use SSL Labs' SSL Test to check if your entire website is properly configured for HTTPS.
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This tool will provide detailed information about your SSL/TLS certificate, encryption, and security of your HTTPS setup.
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Why No Padlock: Another tool called Why No Padlock can be used to check for mixed content issues across your site.
5. Redirect HTTP to HTTPS
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Ensure HTTP Pages Redirect to HTTPS:
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If any pages are still accessible via
http://
, set up 301 redirects fromhttp://
tohttps://
to ensure that visitors and search engines are automatically redirected to the secure version of the page.
This can be done in the server configuration (e.g., in
.htaccess
for Apache servers) or via your hosting provider’s settings. -
6. Check if the SSL/TLS Certificate is Installed Properly
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Verify SSL Certificate:
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Ensure that your SSL certificate is valid, up-to-date, and properly installed. You can check this by clicking on the padlock icon in the browser and looking for details about the SSL certificate. It should show that it’s issued by a trusted Certificate Authority (CA).
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What to Do If Your Site Isn't Fully HTTPS:
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Secure All Pages:
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Make sure every page and asset (images, stylesheets, scripts, etc.) is served over HTTPS.
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Update internal links to use
https://
instead ofhttp://
.
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Fix Mixed Content:
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If you find any mixed content issues, update the resources to be loaded over HTTPS.
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Set Up 301 Redirects:
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Implement 301 redirects from all
http://
pages to theirhttps://
equivalents to ensure that users and search engines are always directed to the secure version.
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Update Canonical Tags:
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Ensure that canonical tags (used to prevent duplicate content issues) point to the HTTPS version of your pages.
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Conclusion:
If your website is fully using HTTPS for every page and there are no mixed content issues, it is secure and optimized for privacy and SEO benefits. If there are any HTTP pages or mixed content warnings, you’ll need to implement fixes to ensure your site is fully secure.
If you’re unsure about your current setup or need help with the technical aspects, let me know, and I can provide further guidance!