Why doesn’t my site show with a padlock?

That little padlock means a lot in the world of web, namely, that the website is secured with a digital certificate. All traffic between your computer and the websites server is being secured and cannot be intercepted and read by anyone watching the traffic inbetween.

This is exceptionally important when sites have user areas or checkouts that pass particularly sensitive information like your email address, phone number, password and/or banking details.

There can be a wide range of reasons for this but here are the most common ones:

• Mixed Content Warnings: One of the primary reasons for the absence of the padlock is mixed content warnings. This occurs when a secure webpage (using HTTPS) also includes elements (such as images, scripts, or stylesheets) served over an insecure connection (HTTP). Browsers may block such content, leading to a partial or missing padlock icon.
• Insecure Links to External Resources: Similar to mixed content warnings, including insecure links to external resources can also trigger browsers to withhold the padlock. This might happen if your website includes external scripts, fonts, or other assets served over HTTP.
• Insecure Redirects: Improper redirection configurations can also lead to SSL certificate issues. If your website redirects from HTTPS to HTTP or vice versa, browsers might not display the padlock, indicating an insecure connection.
• Expired or Misconfigured SSL Certificate: An expired SSL certificate or misconfigured SSL settings can cause browsers to distrust your website’s security, leading to the omission of the padlock icon.
• Browser Caching Issues: Local browser caching can interfere with the display of the padlock icon.

The quickest way to is to use a service like whynopadlock which is a free service and will point you in the right direction.