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HTTPS and SSL certificates: what to check when a browser warns

Investigate certificate, hostname and insecure-content problems in order.

5 min · Beginner

Updated

In this guide

What HTTPS protects

HTTPS protects data sent between the browser and the service with TLS encryption. A certificate helps the browser verify that the connection belongs to the correct domain. The term SSL certificate is still common even though modern connections use TLS.

Find the cause of the warning

  1. Record the browser's exact error and URL. Check your device's date and time too.
  2. Confirm that you opened the correct hostname. The www address, root domain and other subdomains may require separate coverage in the certificate.
  3. Check certificate status and validity in the service dashboard. In hosting for AI-built websites, this appears on Domains.
  4. Verify that DNS points to the correct service. Issuing a certificate requires validating domain control; incorrect DNS routing can prevent this.
  5. If the page opens over HTTPS but some content does not load, check image, script and API addresses. HTTP resources on an HTTPS page can cause mixed-content problems.

Verify the fix

Open the website again and check the browser's connection details to confirm the certificate covers the address you use. Test login and forms as well. Enable an HTTPS redirect only after the secure address works.

If the warning continues

Do not bypass a certificate warning to sign in or send sensitive information. Send support the URL, error code and certificate status. HTTPS protects the connection but does not by itself establish that the website's contents or owner are trustworthy.

Sources and further reading