What Is SSL / HTTPS?
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) — now technically its successor TLS (Transport Layer Security) — is an encryption protocol that secures the connection between a user's browser and a web server. When a website has a valid SSL certificate, URLs begin with `https://` instead of `http://`, and browsers show a padlock icon. HTTPS is a confirmed Google ranking factor, and modern browsers actively warn users when visiting HTTP sites.
SSL and SEO
Google confirmed HTTPS as a ranking signal in 2014. In competitive niches, HTTPS is a baseline requirement — HTTP sites are at a ranking disadvantage. Beyond SEO, Chrome marks all HTTP pages as 'Not Secure' in the address bar, which significantly increases bounce rates. Mixed content (HTTPS page loading HTTP resources) also triggers browser warnings and must be avoided.
Free SSL with Let's Encrypt and Cloudflare
Let's Encrypt provides free, auto-renewing SSL certificates for any domain — obtained via Certbot on your server (`certbot --nginx` or `certbot --apache`). Cloudflare's free tier automatically provisions SSL and terminates HTTPS at their edge, forwarding requests to your server. For static hosting (Vercel, Netlify), SSL is provided automatically with no configuration needed.
SSL certificate types
Domain Validation (DV) — verifies domain ownership only, issued instantly, shows padlock icon. Free from Let's Encrypt and Cloudflare. Organization Validation (OV) — verifies domain and organisation details, takes days. Extended Validation (EV) — highest assurance, verifies legal entity, historically showed company name in browser bar (most browsers no longer show this). For most websites, DV (free) is entirely appropriate.
SSL / HTTPS & Canvas Builder
canvasbuilder.co uses Cloudflare for SSL/HTTPS with automatic certificate management. HTML files generated by Canvas Builder should always be served over HTTPS — all major static hosting platforms (Vercel, Netlify, Cloudflare Pages) handle this automatically.
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