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Why Did My SSL Certificate Expire?

The Value of the Hashtag

If you’ve ever experienced an SSL certificate expiration, you’ve probably asked yourself why. Don’t worry. It’s not a conspiracy or a scam. There’s a good reason behind it.

Does It Matter If My SSL Certificate Expires?

Yes. It matters. But first, let’s clear up why it happened. Whether you’ve paid for your SSL certificate or not, it always seems like a strange moment when the certificate expires. Depending on whether you got a free SSL certificate, or paid for it, its validity will be different. Paid certificates will last longer than free ones, anywhere from 1 to 2 years, but free ones will expire more frequently.

After paying for it every year, it might seem odd that it keeps expiring, but it’s to make sure your site remains secure. Confirming your certificate is still valid is part of the server authentication process, which allows your site to always make secure connections.

So, What Happens If My Certificate Expires?

An expired SSL certificate can have a series of consequences for both the owner of the website and the website user.

Does It Matter If My SSL Certificate Expires?
To keep your website secure your SSL certificate should be up to date

Website Owner Consequences

Since the site is now not secure, users are likely to stop trusting it, which can significantly decrease traffic to your site. This also negatively affects sales and revenue, as shoppers will be more likely to abandon their shopping carts and not complete their transactions. An expired SSL certificate can also take a toll on your reputation and impact your brand, which puts your business at risk.

Website User Consequences

Browsers will pick up on the expired SSL certificate when prompt error messages come up letting the users know the site is no longer secure. Since secure connections cannot be guaranteed and data is no longer encrypted, a user’s personal information is jeopardized and can be subject to online attacks, fraud, and identity theft.

 

The consequences of expired SSLs can weigh very heavy on your business. It’s not worth risking your reputation and your customers’ integrity. Impressions Agency recommends that you keep your SSL certificates up to date to avoid costly issues in the future.