Website Says Not Secure: What It Means and the Fix
Website says not secure in Chrome when SSL is missing, expired, or only on one version of the address. I include SSL and the fix, from $99 a month.
In this article· 5 sections
Chrome puts “Not secure” in the address bar when the connection to the site is not protected. The hours, the photos, and the form can all be right. The label is still the first thing a visitor reads.
Short answer: When the website says not secure, check the address with www and without it before you change a setting. The certificate is usually missing, expired, or only covering one of those names. Managed Website Hosting & Care includes hosting and SSL from $99 a month. I set that up without handing you a server login.
What does it mean when the website says not secure?
When the website says not secure, Chrome is flagging the connection, not your copy. The certificate is missing, expired, or only covers one version of the address, or a page still pulls something over a plain link. SSL is included on every plan, from $99 a month.
Four checks tell you which problem you have. You can do all four without a host password.
The certificate was never installed on the domain. Both the www name and the bare name warn, and there is nothing for the browser to trust.
The certificate was installed and then it expired. The site worked for a long time, then the label showed up on a day nobody changed the pages.
The certificate covers only one version of the name. www loads clean and the bare name warns, or the reverse. Old bookmarks often use the version you forgot.
A page still requests a photo, a font, or a script over a plain http link. The home page can look protected while one asset is not, and Chrome still shows the warning.
Type both addresses yourself. Then open a form page and a photo page, not only the home page. The free website health check reports HTTPS, SSL, and redirects. A redirect that sends people to the uncovered name will bring the label back after a one-time patch.
I keep a short page on this exact warning: website not secure. It covers a lapsed certificate, www versus the bare name, and old http links.
What should I check before anyone changes a setting?
Open the address on your phone and on a computer, with www and without it. If only one version warns, the certificate does not cover both. Run the free health check for HTTPS, SSL, and redirects. Leave the host login alone until you know which address is the problem.
A warning on one phone and a clean load on a computer can be an old saved page. A warning on both is the live site. Write down which address warned.
Do not point the domain at a new host in the middle of this. Do not edit email records. A wrong change there takes the inbox down with the pages. If the renewal sits in someone else’s email, pay it only if you can see the bill, and leave the domain lock on until a move is actually ready.
If the browser shows a full-page block instead of the address-bar label, say that in the email. That is a different warning. Malware cleanup is $125 an hour on Essentials. It is included on Business and Priority.
How do you fix it so the warning does not come back?
Every plan includes hosting and SSL, from $99 a month. I can look after the site where it is, same price, or move one standard site: copy, test, then switch the domain at a quiet time. A fix on my watch, or a backup restore, is included.
You can keep your current hosting. Same plans, same price. Your host keeps billing you for hosting. I keep a daily backup stored separately from the site. Priority’s dedicated server applies only when I host.
Moving one standard site in is included. I copy it, test it, then switch the domain at a quiet time. A large online store or a custom app gets a fixed quote before that move.
The same plan includes daily backups stored separately from the site, core, plugin, and theme updates, uptime monitoring around the clock, and security hardening: locked-down logins, firewall rules, and safe defaults. If something breaks on my watch, I fix it. Restoring a backup is included. On Essentials and Business, an outage goes to the front of the line during business hours. Priority gets 24/7 response if the site goes down. On Essentials, a change request gets a reply within 2 business days.
Small changes are separate from putting SSL on the domain. Email a link or a screenshot to michael@michaelheredia.com. Text, photos, hours, a new post, or a section use the monthly time first, then $125 an hour, and I tell you before going over. Unused time does not roll over.
A redesign, a new feature, an online store, or an integration is quoted as a fixed price before any work starts. Checkout takes a couple of minutes. I email you within 1 business day to start onboarding. You keep full ownership of the domain and the content. You can ask for a complete copy of the site any time.
Which plan fits a site with this warning?
Essentials is $99 a month: 30 minutes of changes and a reply within 2 business days. Business is $249 a month: 1 hour, updates tested on a staging copy, malware cleanup included. Priority is $499 a month: 3 hours, a dedicated server, and 24/7 response if the site goes down.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Essentials | $99 a month | Hosting, SSL, daily backups, updates, monitoring, 30 minutes of changes, a reply within 2 business days. Malware cleanup is $125 an hour. Fixes and restores are included. |
| Business (most popular) | $249 a month | Everything in Essentials, 1 hour of changes, updates tested on a staging copy before they go live, malware cleanup included. |
| Priority | $499 a month | Everything in Business, 3 hours of changes, a dedicated server, 24/7 response if the site goes down. |
All three cost the same whether I host or I look after the site on the host you already pay. “Most popular” is only the label on Business. See the plans.
When this isn’t the right fit
This is the wrong plan if the site needs a redesign, a new feature, an online store, or an integration first. I quote that as a fixed price before work starts. It is the wrong fit when someone on staff already handles SSL, updates, and small edits.
If the pages themselves are the problem, start with web development. These plans look after the site you already have.
On cancel, the plan runs to the end of the paid month. Before it ends, you get a full copy of the site and help pointing the domain to a new host.
Pick a plan on the plans page, or send a question through the hosting form. Checkout takes a couple of minutes. I email you within 1 business day to start.
FAQ
Why does my website say not secure? +
Chrome shows that label when the connection is not protected. The certificate is usually missing, expired, or only covers www or the bare name, not both. A page can also still load a photo or a script over a plain link. Every plan includes hosting and SSL. Fixing something that broke on my watch is included, from $99 a month.
How much does it cost to have you handle this? +
Essentials is $99 a month, Business is $249 a month, and Priority is $499 a month. You can cancel any time. Every plan includes hosting, SSL, daily backups stored separately, updates, monitoring around the clock, and security hardening. Malware cleanup is $125 an hour on Essentials and included on Business and Priority.
Do I have to leave my current host? +
No. You can keep your current hosting. Same plans, same price. Your host keeps billing you for hosting, and I keep a daily backup stored separately from the site. Priority's dedicated server applies only when I host. You do not manage a server login or a control panel. Moving one standard site in is included if you would rather switch.
What happens to the site if I cancel? +
The plan runs to the end of the month you already paid. Before it ends, you get a full copy of the site and help pointing the domain to a new host. You keep full ownership of the domain and the content. You can ask for a complete copy of the site any time, including before you cancel.
