Millions of websites use SSL as a standard for encrypting web traffic.
SSL protects your site, though its technical details can seem complicated. The setup is simpler than it may appear.
A few quick steps secure the site. Follow them below.
For SSL Unavailable troubleshooting, Click here. Use the SSL Pending steps for that error: click here.
What is An SSL Certificate?
SSL (Secure Socket Layer) is a type of security that’s used to protect data as it moves between your computer and the internet. It works by encrypting the information exchanged between the two parties, preventing it from being read by anyone else, including people on the same network.
HTTPS secures all traffic and content on the website.
As visitors move between pages, encryption protects their browsing activity.
Their personal information is therefore protected from risk.
After getting a domain name, obtain an SSL certificate to protect customers’ data.
What Are The Benefits Of Having An SSL Certificate On Your Shopify Store?
SSL certificates are a standard part of online security and help build customer trust.
Traffic on an unsecured website is open to hackers. They could steal passwords and credit card numbers, along with checkout-page data.
A padlock indicates that the site is secure and information moving to and from the whole sitemap is safe.
When shoppers see that padlock beside the URL, they can be confident their personal details are protected during checkout.
Google Search states that encryption matters for a website’s search ranking.
Google’s page on HTTPS and site ranking identifies SSL encryption as a definite ranking factor. It also gives security practices to improve SEO for a sales business.
Optimising for Google search makes the business more visible and gives new visitors a positive impression.
Moving every domain from HTTP to HTTPS protects content while helping sales and Google Search performance.
Does Shopify Provide Free SSL Certificates?
Yes, Shopify provides them.
Shopify makes encrypting a store with an SSL certificate straightforward.
Its free certificates protect every Shopify shopper against data theft.
A few clicks move all Shopify-hosted store pages to the more secure HTTPS protocol.
Activate SSL to replace HTTP with HTTPS on the sites.
How To Add SSL To Shopify
Sign in to the new store and link its domain. Shopify then sets up SSL certificates to secure every page.
The certificates will validate and secure the store provided the host and any CDNs also use SSL.
Update the HTTP sitemap next. Follow my quick tutorial for creating a Shopify sitemap if you have not made an HTTP sitemap before.
Browse the site after setup and check that every URL begins with HTTPS instead of HTTP to confirm certification.
Without HTTPS, the browser will not display the padlock.
Content errors or domain misconfiguration can prevent SSL encryption, as can delays in refreshing the site.
If the free Shopify certificate fails to load, the site displays SSL Unavailable or SSL Pending.
What Does SSL Unavailable Mean On Your Shopify Store?
The SSL Unavailable error in the Shopify admin center means what it says: SSL isn’t available for use on your site. This doesn’t mean you can’t use the free Shopify encryption. It means some part of your domain’s configuration or your site’s content isn’t secure so Shopify can’t issue you an SSL certificate.
A domain or content delivery service may fail to connect securely for several reasons. Usually, correcting a configuration setting prepares the store for SSL.
How To Fix SSL Unavailable On Your Shopify Store
- Give It 48 Hours
- Fix Your Domain Record
- Remove IPv6 Records
- Remove (Or Alter) CAA Records
Shopify produces SSL Unavailable; it is not a browser error.
Shoppers will only notice unavailable SSL if they check their browser for the padlock.
Resolve this error promptly if it appears in Shopify settings or webmaster tools, since SSL content protects the shopping experience.
1. Give It 48 Hours
Certificates require renewal and re-verification after any custom-domain or server change.
Full installation and distribution of HTTPS encryption can take up to 48 hours.
This 2-day wait begins when you create the site and starts again after any of the following steps.
2. Fix Your Domain Record
A custom domain created through Shopify is added to the admin panel and configured automatically.
Add the domain yourself if you obtained it outside Shopify.
Verify that the A record points to Shopify’s IP address: 23.227.38.65
Point CNAME entries to shops.myshopify.com
Only one A record can be used for a domain. Extra A records trigger SSL Unavailable in Shopify.
3. Remove IPv6 Records
Valid IPv6 records can still conflict with Shopify’s setup and cause security problems for the site.
Use IPv4 A records to obtain the HTTPS prefix for the business’s URLs.
4. Remove (Or Alter) CAA Records
I recommend avoiding CAA records because the extra configuration can confuse Shopify HTTPS encryption.
If CAA records are required, include the authorities digicert.com, globalsign.com, and letsencrypt.org in each record.
These third-party certificate authorities check that an HTTPS certificate remains valid and has not been revoked.
How To Fix Pending SSL Certificate On Your Shopify Store
- Check Your A Name Records
- Fix Your CNAME Records
- Let It Propagate
SSL Pending means encryption is active, but Shopify has yet to verify that the server and content meet the protocol’s requirements.
1. Check Your A Name Records
If the rest of DNS is configured correctly but the A records are incorrect, Shopify displays SSL Pending instead of SSL Unavailable.
Shopify is then waiting to detect the domain before authorising SSL on the server.
Point the A records to Shopify’s IP address: 23.227.38.65
Ask the domain host for help configuring the records through its webmaster tools if needed.
2. Fix Your CNAME Records
A CNAME maps DNS records for one domain to those of another.
Set the Shopify CNAME destination to shops.myshopify.com
Use a domain name as the CNAME target, never an IP address.
3. Let It Propagate
For either error, domain changes can take up to 48 hours to propagate fully to every storefront.
Allow at least two days before asking the third-party host’s admin support, Shopify support or an IT service for help securing the store.
