What will happen to my website if Let's Encrypt expires?

#1

What limitations and changes will I see on my website if Let’s Encrypt expires and I fail to renew it on time in my online store?

Cheers
Brody

#2

The users trying to connect via https will see a warning in their browser that the certificate has expired, and asking if they really want to go to the site.

#3

Cheers. Will this also physically obstruct my online shoppers i.e. subscribers from purchasing on my site?

#4

Yep. They’ll probably be too afraid to enter the website. It’s a pretty scary warning :sweat_smile:

chrome-expired.png1356x715 70 KB

#5

I mean something along the lines of grayed-out fields when entering card information but yes, I see your point, the warning is enough to scare people.

#6

This is why when you start with SSL you stick with it and you make sure it never ever expires. One slip up with a nasty warning on the screen like that and you have broken any trust you may have established with customers.

#7

Cheers MitchellK. This is very risky. For a business owner I don’t want to worry about it. I want to focus my energy on one thing only. I decided to buy one instead. I couldn’t be happier.

#8

For a single web site and the fact that you can sleep at night and not worry about renewals etc, I would say that was a wise choice.

#9

Hi @BrodyJames, I’m glad you found a good solution and I’m sorry your hosting provider didn’t have Let’s Encrypt integration available in time.

Please don’t forget to renew your certificate in December 2017! Even paid certificates expire at some point. :slight_smile:

#10

Thanks Schoen. I am prepared for annual renewal. It’s easier to setup automatic payment and have my provider take care of it.

#11

Thank you. I fully agree with my decision. Business owners need to focus on one thing only. Making $. Renewing my SSL was not part of my business plan and is a waste of my time. However, I will revisit Let’s Encrypt in the future.

#12

If you set up your website using HSTS, visitors won’t be able to ignore the warning message. So if the website is HTTPS-only and uses HSTS, nobody can’t visit it at all until a valid certificate has been set up again.

#13

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