To have trust and performance, it is imperative to keep your website secure. An expired SSL certificate is one of the most widespread problems that web owners have to deal with. Once your Comodo SSL certificate is out of date, your visitors will encounter warning messages and some might even be blocked out of your site. This not only frightens away users but may also impact on your search ranking and online credibility. The positive side is that it is easy to repair an expired Comodo SSL certificate provided that the process is done promptly.
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Confirm the Expiry
The initial one is the verification that your SSL has expired. Use a browser and open your site, and then you can see a padlock icon. See certificate information and the expiry date. Browsers will issue warnings including Not Secure in case the certificate is out of date. This proves that your Comodo SSL should be fixed as soon as possible.
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Renew Your SSL Certificate.
After the expiry has been verified, log into your Comodo or Sectigo account. Locate the section of the list of issued certificates. Click on the obsolete SSL certificate and renew it. Alternatively, you might have to login to your hosting control panel in case your hosting provider issued the certificate. Once you have chosen renewal, you have to create a new Certificate Signing Request (CSR) on your server. This CSR includes information regarding your field and business. Re-upload the CSR with Comodo in order to initiate the validation process.
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Validate the renewed certificate
Comodo will need domain validation prior to a renewed certificate being issued. The validation may be performed with the help of email, DNS records, or file upload. Select the hosting environment that fits your environment. After the validation process is done, Comodo will deliver to you the renewed files of the SSL certificate. Such files normally contain the main certificate, CA bundle, and in some cases intermediate certificates.
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Test Your Website
After the certificate has been installed, access your web site in a browser. The padlock icon must also appear again and the warning messages must vanish. Free online tools to check the installation of the SSL can also be used. These tools will tell you whether your Comodo SSL is running and set up properly.
Avoiding Future Expiry
In order to avoid the same scenario in the future, reminders about the next expiry date should be set. The majority of the SSL certificates are one year. There are also some hosting providers that provide automatic renewal. This feature is necessary so that your SSL certificate will automatically be updated. Conducting frequently checked monitoring of your SSL will ensure that in future you do not experience downtime and trust problems.
Final Thoughts
To fix an expired Comodo SSL certificate, one has to renew it, validate it and install it. Although the procedure is simple, delays may damage your web site security and reputation. Never leave it too long before your certificate runs out. With your Comodo SSL enabled, you secure your visitors, ensure trust, and ensure that your web site continues to operate without any hiccups.
