If your browser is showing a “Not Secure” label next to your website’s URL, you are not alone. It is one of the most common issues website owners face, and it can quietly cost you visitors, conversions, and search rankings before you even realise what is happening.
The good news is that this warning is fixable. This guide walks you through exactly how to remove the “not secure” warning from your website and get your site back to a trusted, secure state.
Why Does My Website Show a “Not Secure” Warning?
Browsers like Chrome display this warning when a website does not have a valid SSL certificate or is not running over HTTPS. The connection between the visitor’s browser and your server is unencrypted, which means any data exchanged, including passwords, form submissions, and payment details, is potentially exposed.
Common reasons this warning appears include:
- No SSL certificate installed on your website
- An expired SSL certificate that has not been renewed
- Incorrect SSL installation or configuration
- Mixed content, where an HTTPS page loads some resources over HTTP
- A mismatch between the certificate’s domain and the actual URL being accessed
Understanding which of these applies to your site is the first step toward knowing how to fix not-secure website errors effectively.
How to Fix the “Not Secure” Warning: Step-by-Step
Step 1: Get an SSL Certificate
If your website does not have an SSL certificate at all, obtaining one is the starting point. SSL certificates come in different types depending on your needs.
Domain Validated (DV) certificates are the quickest to issue and work well for blogs, portfolios, and informational websites. Organisation Validated (OV) certificates offer a higher level of trust for business websites. Extended Validation (EV) certificates go through the most rigorous verification and are suited to e-commerce and websites handling sensitive data.
For small businesses and growing websites, a DV SSL certificate is usually sufficient and is available at an affordable price. When comparing your options, it helps to understand free vs paid SSL certificates so you can make the right choice for your site’s needs and growth plans.
BigRock offers SSL certificates designed to be easy to set up and manage, whether you are securing a single domain or multiple subdomains.
Step 2: Follow the SSL Installation Steps
Once you have your certificate, you need to install it on your hosting server. Here is how the SSL installation steps typically work:
On most hosting control panels, including the one provided with BigRock hosting, you will find an SSL management section. Upload the certificate files provided by your Certificate Authority, assign the certificate to your domain, and save the configuration.
On a VPS or dedicated server, installation is done manually by updating your web server configuration files, whether Apache or Nginx, to point to your certificate files and enable HTTPS traffic on port 443.
If you are unsure about any part of this process, BigRock’s support team can guide you through the installation to make sure everything is set up correctly from the start.
Step 3: Enable HTTPS on Your Website
Installing the certificate alone does not fully fix the ” not secure warning in Chrome. You also need to enable HTTPS on the website and make sure all traffic is routed through it.
This means setting up a redirect so that anyone visiting the HTTP version of your site is automatically taken to the HTTPS version. On Apache servers, this is done through your .htaccess file with a simple rewrite rule. On Nginx servers, you update the server block configuration. Most hosting control panels also include a one-click option to force HTTPS, which is the easiest route for non-technical users.
On WordPress, you can update your site URL settings under Settings and General to reflect the HTTPS version, or use a plugin like Really Simple SSL to handle the redirect automatically.
Step 4: Fix Mixed Content Issues
Even after you enable HTTPS, your site may still show a partial warning if some resources are still loading over HTTP. This is known as mixed content and is one of the most overlooked reasons a website shows as not secure. How to fix searches that keep recurring even after SSL is installed.
Open your browser’s developer tools by pressing F12 and check the Console tab for mixed content warnings. Any images, scripts, or stylesheets loading over HTTP need to be updated to their HTTPS versions. For WordPress users, a search and replace tool or a plugin can scan and update all internal URLs in one go.
Check any third-party embeds or external resources as well. If an external resource does not support HTTPS, you may need to find an alternative or host the file yourself.
Step 5: Update Your DNS and Domain Settings
If you have recently moved your site, changed hosting providers, or set up a new domain, your DNS settings may be pointing to the wrong server. This can cause SSL errors even when the certificate itself is correctly installed.
Understanding what a nameserver is and how DNS works can help you troubleshoot these situations. Your nameservers tell browsers where to find your website, and if they are not pointing to the correct hosting server, your SSL certificate will not be recognised properly.
Similarly, if you have recently completed or are planning to transfer your domain, make sure the SSL certificate is correctly reassigned after the process is complete, as transferring a domain name is a step that often requires updating the SSL configuration on the new hosting environment.
Why Is My Website Still Showing “Not Secure” After Installing SSL?
If you have installed your SSL certificate but the warning persists, the most likely causes are:
- The HTTPS redirect has not been set up, so visitors are still landing on the HTTP version.
- Mixed content issues remain unresolved.
- The SSL certificate has not fully propagated yet, which can take a few hours.
- The certificate does not cover the exact domain variant being accessed, for example, the www version vs the non-www version.
- The certificate has been installed incorrectly, or the intermediate certificate chain is missing.
Running your site through an SSL checker tool will highlight exactly what is misconfigured so you can fix it without guessing.
Final Thoughts
A “Not Secure” warning is not just a technical issue. It is a trust issue. Visitors who see it are far less likely to stay, submit a form, or make a purchase. Fixing it protects your users, improves your search visibility, and gives your business the credibility it deserves online.
The process is straightforward: get the right SSL certificate, complete the SSL installation steps correctly, enable HTTPS on your website, and resolve any mixed content issues. BigRock makes each of these steps accessible, whether you are setting up your first site or managing an established web presence.
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