BigCommerce offers a free SSL certificate for stores on any plan. This allows any store with a custom domain name instant access to a free, dedicated SSL certificate.
With the free SSL certificate, your store can use our Sitewide HTTPS feature, which will encrypt all pages of the website. Having sitewide HTTPS will display a padlock on all pages, giving shoppers extra confidence in your brand and it may improve your SEO ranking in Google.
Requirements
In order to have the free SSL applied to your store, you must meet the following requirements:
- Your store must be on a paid plan.
- Your store must have a custom domain. The domain name can be pointed via A record, CNAME record, or by nameservers.
Applying the Free SSL Certificate
If you have met the requirements, the free SSL certificate will apply automatically after the store has a custom domain applied. No further action is required. Keep in mind that the new SSL certificate may take some time to propagate, as it can take up to 48 hours before it is fully applied.
Note that there is no option to manually apply the free SSL certificate to your store. If your store has not received a free SSL after applying a custom domain, see the FAQ for potential causes, or contact our Support team.
FAQ
How do I renew my free SSL certificate?
No action is required. BigCommerce automatically installs a free SSL certificate once the previous SSL has expired.
What happens if my current paid SSL certificate expires?
If you have purchased an SSL certificate and it expires, BigCommerce will automatically install a free SSL certificate so that the store is always protected.
What happened to the shared SSL certificate?
The shared SSL certificate will continue to protect stores without a custom domain, using the .mybigcommerce.com subdomain. Once you apply a custom domain to your store, the free SSL certificate replaces the shared certificate.
What's the difference between the free and paid certificates?
The Quick SSL Premium, True BusinessID, and True BusinessID with EV SSL certificates offer features that the free option does not, such as:
- A site seal
- Purchase protection / warranty
- Extended validation (EV)
For more information, see BigCommerce SSL Certificates.
Why don't I see a padlock on some storefront pages?
If you've customized your theme with "hardcoded" references to insecure assets (such as images using an HTTP protocol instead of HTTPS), this can cause "mixed security" warnings and prevent the page from showing as fully secure. See Browser Security Warnings for more information.
Why is the free SSL certificate failing to install on my store?
If you meet the requirements listed above and the SSL has not applied after 48 hours, confirm that your domain is properly pointed to your store. If the free SSL still has not applied, contact our Support team for further investigation.
If you are using a reverse proxy and are proxying select paths to BigCommerce, you must ensure a .well-known path is also being forwarded through so that the SSL certificate may be issued automatically. Contact your proxy provider for instructions on adding this path to your reverse proxy configuration.
