The browsers that I use regularly, particularly Google Chrome and Firefox have been becoming more and more noisy about web pages that use the http protocol.  This is the long established but insecure protocol that sends pages from server to client unencrypted.  The more more modern and in some ways more secure https is preferred.  So it became time to upgrade my website and its WordPress blog to enable https.

The first step was easy – my host was able to automatically generate an SSL certificate which is installed on the web server and which allows communications to be signed and transmitted securely encrypted.  That was done with a click of a button.  Thanks WebSiteSource.

Next, as I worked through this HowTo, was a recommendation to install a plugin called ReallySimple SSL.  Sounded good to me but for some reason I started hitting a reasonably well know WordPress problem.  I started getting blank screens in the admin area of my WordPress blog.  Fortunately there were a few guides, including this one, which helped work out which Theme or Plugin was responsible.  A bit of FTP work, following the youtube instruction was all that was necessary.

Now Really Simple SSL is playing nicely with all the other elements of my site and I have a lovely little green padlock in Firefox.