50 of the Greatest Things Ever Published on The Web

When computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee – a fellow at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research headquartered in Meyrin, Switzerland – released the source code for the first web browser and editor on April 30, 1993, the World Wide Web was born. It was the first royalty-free, user-friendly way for people to browse information and content on the information network that was in its infancy and that would eventually become the internet that has become an integral part of our daily lives today.

In the 29 years since its inception, the web has, of course, expanded. The capabilities have become more useful and the content has become more – well – interesting! In honor of the anniversary, we thought we’d take a trippy trip down memory lane and circle back to recent history by highlighting “50 of the Greatest Things Ever Published on the Web.”

Don’t say we didn’t warn you!

Greatest Memes

Grumpy Cat

We dare say there has probably been no furry internet celebrity more beloved than Grumpy Cat. The frowning feline, whose real name was Tardar Sauce, burst into the popular consciousness in 2012 when her owner posted pictures of her on Reddit. Tardar Sauce’s delightfully dour expression (yes, it was a real, permanent anomaly) made her a star – so much so that she appeared on merchandise and in endorsements and comic books. Sadly, Grumpy Cat is no longer with us, but we’re sure she continues to brighten the realm beyond the Rainbow Bridge with her eternally grouchy demeanor.

Condescending/Sarcastic Willy Wonka

Gene Wilder played the eccentric and, at times, maniacal candy man Willy Wonka in the 1971 movie “Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory.” In 2011, the first snarky memes featuring the character began to appear on the internet: a still image of Wonka’s benign facial expression with slogans conveying a condescending, sarcastic  attitude. If we got sugared-up enough on Wonka Bars, Fizzy Lifting Drinks, and Everlasting Gobstoppers, we’d have fun coming up with some classic Wonka memes.

Squinting Fry (from “Futurama”)

Originating in a scene in the Season 2 episode “The Lesser of Two Evils” from the oft-resurrected animated comedy series “Futurama,” this image of a squinting Philip J. Fry is usually matched with slogans conveying an internal monologue of uncertainty, suspicion, or curiosity.

Success Kid

We don’t know about you, but when we need a little reminder that, no matter how tough and bleak a situation may seem or how insurmountable an obstacle may look, there’s always hope. And we usually find that hope in the Success Kid memes. The photo, taken in 2007 by Laney Griner of her then 11-month-old son Sammy Griner, is coupled with inspirational witticisms to describe situations that turn out better than expected or that celebrate succes.

Philosoraptor

Who am I? Why am I here? What’s my destiny in life? These are questions that we probably all ask ourselves from time to time. We read countless self-help books to try to discern our paths in life. But we’d probably save ourselves a lot of time by looking to the Philosoraptor for the sage wisdom and answers to the metaphysical conundrums  we spend countless hours pondering. The image was originally created by university student Sam Smith as a t-shirt design, inspired by a friend who was majoring in philosophy.

James Van Der Beek Crying (from “Dawson’s Creek”)

Let’s face it (pun intended): there may be no other meme series in the history of history more (in)famous than that of the bawling Dawson Leery. The character, played by actor James Van Der Beek in the American TV series “Dawson’s Creek” from 1998 to 2003, ugly-cried in the Season Three episode “True Love” after giving up his sweetie Joey Potter (Katie Holmes). Van Der Beek’s decidedly demonstrative grimace has become the stuff of legend. You could say it was the face that launched a thousand memes!

“Ancient Aliens” Crazy-Hair Guy

When “Ancient Aliens” debuted on the History Channel in 2009 as a documentary special, later going to series in 2010, it instantly became both popular and controversial for its core “ancient astronauts” theory: the notion that intelligent extraterrestrial beings visited Earth in antiquity and ancient times, made contact with humans, and even helped to shape cultures, technologies, religions, and more. But although the series’s unprovable, fanciful hypotheses have been widely dismissed as nonsense, it gave rise to a hilarious universe of memes featuring show producer and frequent talking-head Giorgio Tsoukalos and his unselfconscious, iconic hair.

The Most Interesting Man in the World (Dos Equis Guy)

Dos Equis beer launched an ad campaign in 2006 featuring actor Jonathan Goldsmith as the debonair, smooth-talking Most Interesting Man in the World. In every TV commercial and in every advertisement, he reminded us, “I don’t always drink beer, but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis.” So, not only has the campaign reminded us that we’re probably not interesting unless we drink Dos Equis, it also gives us the meme-ready philosophy that even though we don’t always X, when we do, we X.

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“That Would Be Great”/Bill Lumbergh (from “Office Space”)

In a scene from 1999 comedy “Office Space,” put-upon, exploited office worker Peter Gibbons (Ron Livingston) is coerced into working overtime by his boss, Bill Lumbergh (Gary Cole). Lumbergh’s “That would be great” tagline to that conversation has become a cult classic and has appeared in numerous memes that play off of the Boss from Hell’s understated but slimeball personality. And you thought your boss stinks!

Captain Picard Facepalm

Following the premiere of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” in 1987, there may have been (and may still be) a rivalry among Trekkers as to whether Kirk or Picard is the better Starfleet captain. But we digress: no one can deny that Picard is the undisputed master of the epic facepalm. And the image of one of his most iconic moments is used frequently in memes to represent a stressful or seemingly insurmountable problem or a disappointment or state of annoyance.

Sean Bean “One Does Not Simply…” (from “Lord of the Rings”)

The meme series featuring actor Sean Bean as Boromir from “Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” spun off from a scene in the film when he warns a secret council, “One does not simply walk into Mordor. Its black gates are guarded by more than just orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep.” And then, making a circle with his hand, he says. “The great eye is ever watchful.” And a great speech is ever memeful.

“I Can Has Cheezburger?” Happy Cat

With its plaintive, pleading eyes and baby-talk grammar, the pussycat in this meme series melted our hearts from the get-go, just as it was likely dreaming of melting cheddar on a quarter-pound mound of burgery goodness. And as with just about all viral memes, there have been variations and spinoffs galore.

Greatest Events

The World’s First Livestream – of a coffee pot (1993)

Nowadays, livestreams are ubiquitous on the internet. We can watch live webcasts of everything from meetings to speeches, celebrity interviews to entertainment award shows, breaking news to presidential inaugurations, and more. But in the early ‘90s, when the internet was still a toddler, webcams weren’t yet a thing. That was until a group of computer students at the University of Cambridge in England rigged up a camera to monitor the levels of java in their lab’s coffee pot via still images so they wouldn’t run low on brain fuel. The most important coffee pot in history would later make it onto the World Wide Web on November 22, 1993, as an experiment. And the rest is caffeinated history.

Yahoo launches (1994)

Yahoo began in 1994 as “Jerry and David’s Guide to the World Wide Web,” named after its creators, David Filo and Jerry Yang. The combination of internet search engine and directory of World Wide Web websites organized in a hierarchy of topic categories also offers other services including Yahoo Mail and Yahoo News.

MySpace launches (2003)

Remember many eons ago, back before Facebook changed/ruled the world, its forebear called MySpace? It was kind of addictive, wasn’t it? The social networking website launched on August 1, 2003.

Amazon launches (1995)

It’s kind of hard to believe that behemoth Amazon – which now sells just about everything on Earth except the Eiffel Tower, the Great Pyramid of Giza, and bottled water from the Fountain of Youth – started out in July 1995 as a humble online book store. But that little seed sprouted and grew like kudzu in unimaginable ways, and now Amazon co-owns James Bond. Jeff Bezos is the Man With the Golden Ambition if there ever was one.

Ebay launches (1995)

Do you remember AuctionWeb? No? Well, you probably know it better by its current incarnation: eBay. The online auction market went live a mere two months after Amazon did. The first item sold: a broken laser pointer. And despite the frequent misperception that Amazon owns eBay, the two are separate competitors.

Match.com goes live (1995)

Match.com was the world’s first internet dating website when it debuted in 1995. In its wake, seemingly countless other websites and apps have promised to help us meet either Mr. or Mrs. Right – or Mr. or Mrs. Right Now.

Craigslist is introduced (1995)

Craigslist was created by American internet entrepreneur Craig Newmark as a classified advertisements website, and it quickly became a go-to marketplace for users to post their offers, wares, and services in categories like jobs, housing, for sale, items wanted, and more. It also included an “adult services” and personals section that was shut down in 2010.

Hotmail debuts (1996)

Nearly a decade before Gmail debuted and became the preeminent email service of choice for most of the world, Hotmail was the world’s first free web-based email provider. Hotmail would eventually get steamrolled by the Gmail goliath and would pack it in, but it lives on in Microsoft Outlook.

Napster debuts (1999)

The original Napster reared its subversive head in 1999, when a teenager hit on the idea of creating a free file-sharing website to which users could upload MP3 copies of music illegally ripped from CDs and other sources. The website was, of course, a hit with some 80 million users and a cultural phenomenon – so much so that its creator got himself in some very hot legal water and drew the wrath of the millionaire musicians who weren’t benefiting from it financially. It also set in motion the eventual shift toward digital as the primary way consumers get their tunes. Now, in 2022, Napster is under different ownership and operates as a legal, pay-per-song music-download website.

Apple launches iTunes (2003)

Apple was eager to get in on the digital music revolution when it introduced iTunes to the world. In the beginning, it had 200,000 songs in its catalog available for purchase and download. There are now more than 26 million and counting.

Facebook launches (2004)

Today, Facebook is the cyber stage from which your friends and family present the most idealized versions of themselves and their lives, as well as debate current events to the point of mass hysteria…and it has some good uses, too. It began on February 4, 2004, as The Facebook, a directory for college students at the same schools to network. As it has grown and gone public to investors – and maybe even gotten a little too big for its britches – Facebook has not been without some intense controversies. But, like many large behemoths, it may be too big to fail.

Gmail debuts (2004)

In a time when many internet users were paying for email services and getting very little amounts of storage in which to keep their emails, when Google announced in 2004 that it would give those users an unbeatable deal, the electrical charge lit up cyberspace. Google would allow users to create email accounts free of charge and give them 1 GB of free storage. Now, Gmail is the largest and most popular email service online.

YouTube debuts (2005)

When Google acquired YouTube in 2006 for $1.65 billion in a stock-for-stock transaction, the video-sharing platform was already wildly popular just one year after it had launched. It was created by former PayPal employees, and the first video uploaded to the website on April 23, 2005, was an 18-second clip of one of its founders, Jawed Karim, in front of an elephant enclosure at the San Diego Zoo.

Netflix begins streaming online (2007)

Netflix began in 1997 as a by-mail movie rental service, and the convenience it offered was one of the early death knells of brick-and-mortar video store chains like Blockbuster, Hollywood Video, and others. A decade later, its subscribers were able to start instantly watching TV shows and movies on their computers. And although that was a revolutionary development in the home entertainment space, watching entire movies on a small laptop or desktop computer monitor could be awkward at times. That’s why we were all overjoyed with the advent of streaming options like Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and gaming consoles. As Netflix increasingly added more existing content and developed more and better original shows and movies, and once we all made the move from our desks to our couches, we never looked back.

Wikipedia launches (2001)

Launched on January 15, 2001 with its first edit, Wikipedia – you know, the thing that replaced encyclopedias and is absolutely, 100% reliable and error-free – is hosted and overseen by the Wikimedia Foundation, a non-profit organization that also has other online resources including Commons freely usable photos, Wikibooks free textbooks, and Wiktionary free dictionary (in case Merriam-Webster’s website isn’t reliable enough for you).

First tweet ever posted on Twitter (2006)

Credit for the first tweet ever posted on Twitter goes to Jack Dorsey, CEO of the service and one of its four creators. Published on March 21, 2006, it was short and oh so sweet: “just setting up my twttr.” On October 25, 2021, he sold it to a Malaysian buyer for $2.9 million as an NFT, or non-fungible token. That’s a lot of coin for no capitalizations.

The first picture ever posted on Instagram (2010)

Instagram CEO and co-founder Kevin Systrom uploaded the first picture ever posted to the app. It was a shot of a stray dog sitting near a taco stand in Mexico. Systrom captioned the photo as “test.” It was posted several months before Systrom’s idea for Instagram was shared with the public on October 6, 2010.

The first product ever sold on Amazon (1995)

It’s kind of hard to believe now that Amazon – in all its massive, omnipotent, world-dominating wonder – had humble beginnings as an online book seller, and that Jeff Bezos sold the books from an operation in his garage. And the first-ever product sold by Amazon was to Mr. John Wainwright, who purchased the book “Fluid Concepts And Creative Analogies: Computer Models Of The Fundamental Mechanisms Of Thought” by Douglas Hofstadter. And while we’re still not completely sure what a book like that would be about, it’s a small amazement to know that someone else did.

Greatest Viral Videos

Tillman the Skateboarding Bulldog (2007)

 

Tillman, the now dearly departed French bulldog, became a viral sensation when a YouTube video of him skateboarding appeared on the website.

“Right Up Our Alley” (2021)

 

Created in 2021 as a promotion for Bryant Lake Bowl & Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this 87-second, jaw-dropping drone video – complete with a “The Big Lebowski” reference – was shot in one single take – no edits! That final crash is the stuff of nightmares for expensive equipment, though, isn’t it?

The September 21 Dance Guy

 

We can’t help but be caught up in the infectious joy and creativity that emanate from this viral video of the “September 21st guy,”  Demi Adejuyigbe. Each year on, yep, September 21st, he releases a YouTube video highlighting worthy charities and raises funds for them through Actionnetwork.org.

Rick Astley, “Never Gonna Give You Up” music video

 

Who would’ve thunk it? This hit song, released in 1987 on Rick Astley’s debut album “Whenever You Need Somebody,” has somehow had a staying power that overshadows here-today-gone-tomorrow tracks by many of the English singer’s contemporaries. And even now, in April 2022, the song’s official music video, which was posted on October 25, 2009, has had 1,191,714,844 views. And we’re never gonna forget that it spawned the hilarious yet possibly most annoying internet prank: Rickrolling. Luckily, Astley has seemed to embrace his unexpected legacy as the subject of the gag.

Hot Ones Series

 

From the First We Feast channel on YouTube comes the series “Hot Ones,” with host Sean Evans interviewing a plethora of celebrities while they sample an array of increasingly volcanic hot sauces. One of the most popular entries features nice-guy actor Paul Rudd and has had 20,761,428 views as of this month.

BuzzFeed Unsolved Series

 

This documentary entertainment series was created in February 2016 by Ryan Bergara, who co-hosted with Shane Madej. It initially ran on BuzzFeed’s channel before being given its own, BuzzFeed Unsolved Network, due to its rising popularity and viewership. The show’s alternating thematic structure was unique in that each season focused on either “BuzzFeed Unsolved True Crime” or “BuzzFeed Unsolved Supernatural.” Two of the show’s most appealing elements were its comedic approach to frequently grim subject matter and the banter between Bergara and Madej. There were also spinoff specials, a retrospective, and five episodes of “BuzzFeed Unsolved Sports Conspiracies.” It ended in November 2021, as the hosts had departed BuzzFeed to form their own company, Watcher Entertainment, to produce unscripted digital series.

Greatest Websites

Homestar Runner

When the world was introduced to the Flash-animated website Homestar Runner at the dawn of the 21st Century, it discovered a mini-world of surreal humor and self-parody starring the title character. As the website’s popularity grew, so did the “Strong Bad Email” cartoons featuring the character Strong Bad. Other characters like Coach Z and The Cheat also became breakouts. The website is still active today, with cartoons, SBEs, games, and a store.

Space Jam 1996

It’s anybody’s guess whether the official movie website for “Space Jam” (1996) is still active as a joke, as an oversight, as nostalgia, or all of the above. All we know is that, from the standpoint of what’s possible today, it’s an epic masterpiece of cheap and amateurish design and functionality. But maybe we could cut it some slack since it was created only three years after the advent of the World Wide Web. Whatever the case may be, it’s definitely a time capsule!

FanFiction

This website, created in 1998, allows users to create free accounts and upload unofficial stories they’ve written based on celebrities and characters from popular culture in nine categories: anime/manga, books, cartoons, comic books, games, movies, plays/musicals, TV shows, and miscellaneous. With fan devotion to beloved entertainment properties evident in the creativity of the stories, it’s little wonder that the website remains as popular today as when it debuted 24 years ago.

Making Fiends

The quirky “Making Fiends” was created by animator Amy Winfrey in 2003 as a Flash-animated web series. The cartoon shorts, all clocking in at under five minutes each, featured villainous, sociopathic, narcissistic Vendetta and her army of “fiends” (which she creates from a book of recipes) being annoyed by – and attempting to eliminate – cheerful, naive Charlotte, co-starring a cast of equally oddball characters. It was licensed as a short-lived Nickelodeon series in 2004.

StumbleUpon

When Alice fell down the rabbit hole into Wonderland, she found herself in a surreal, frequently nightmarish world beyond imagination. If you think about it, the internet is a lot like Wonderland, except that we choose to enter it and know where we’re going. Well, sometimes we do. The rest of the time, there was StumbleUpon. This website, which was actually a discovery and advertisement engine, aggregated and pushed content to its users sourced from far and wide across the internet. The content was personalized to users’ tastes and interests. It was a great time waster. Although StumbleUpon officially shut down in 2018 and its users’ accounts transitioned to Mix.com, it’s still up and running in a different form.

Humans of New York

Photographer Brandon Stanton launched Humans of New York in September 2010 as a photoblog to chronicle the everyday lives of strangers on the streets of New York, with an initial goal of documenting 10,000 people.  He soon began to interview them as well, including their quotes and stories with their portraits. The website’s popularity skyrocketed, even spinning off as two bestselling books. Stanton eventually expanded his palette with portraits and stories from over twenty different countries. With its continued worldwide following, the website proves that – in spite of our differences in ideologies and cultures – we may all be more alike than we might’ve ever imagined. We’re all just human.

WebCrawler

Created in January 1994, this search engine was first a desktop app before becoming a web version with its own database several months later. It had 4,000 websites in its database when it launched. It’s still active, although it dismantled its database and now just aggregates search results from Google and Yahoo.

Geocities

Launched in 1994 in the infancy of the internet, GeoCities was the first taste of web mastering and hosting for many users. It allowed them to create and publish websites for free. They could also browse websites, sorted by theme and interests, created by other users. Hyperlinks to the websites would be listed in “cities,” or categories named after real cities or regions, in order for users to easily find content relevant to their interests. GeoCities was acquired by Yahoo! in 2009 and later shut down in 2009.

Atlanta Time Machine

This website is a fascinating historical treasure trove of, as it states on its home page, “then-and-now photos of Atlanta through the decades, scores of old postcards, and miscellaneous ephemeral stuff like old advertising for nightclubs, bars, and restaurants.” It’s a look back at the city’s days of auld lang syne and an engrossing visual documentation of how much things and places can change. The website hasn’t been updated since 2014, the year that its creator, Greg Germani, was tragically and critically injured in a hit-and-run accident.

Internet Archive

Internet Archive may be one of the most amazing websites on the internet, if we do say so ourselves. A 501(c)(3) non-profit, it’s a digital library of websites and other cultural artifacts in digital form, all available for free to users. It was founded in 1996 with the mission to archive the internet, which was still in relative infancy but growing in use. Today, through integration with the Wayback Machine, it has more than 25 years of web history, and it partners with over 950 libraries and other entities to identify important and historical web pages. It provides digital versions of web pages, books and texts, audio and video recordings, photos, and software programs.

Nice One Dad

If you were ever mildly amused but mostly embarrassed by your father’s lame jokes when you were growing up, here’s a website for you to relive those days from a relatively safe distance. It’s a simple premise: jokes and punchlines, advancing from one to the next with a click of a mouse. But keep in mind that it can be mildly addictive, so if you keep clicking and suffer traumatic flashbacks, don’t blame us!

Urban Dictionary

Created by Aaron Peckham in 1999 as a parody of what he felt was the stuffiness and self-seriousness of standard dictionaries, Urban Dictionary is a crowdsourced online dictionary that began including solely slang words and phrases. As its popularity and use grew, it incorporated slightly less outrageous – though not less hilarious – words, events, and phrases. Yeah, the words and definitions can be crude, raunchy, and politically incorrect. But that’s the beauty of not being Merriam-Webster, right?

TikTok

Launched in 2017, this Chinese-owned networking app features user-generated short-form videos of pranks, stunts, tricks, jokes, dancing, and entertainment. The videos range in duration from fifteen seconds to ten minutes. Its demographic is primarily younger users, with 41% of them between the ages of 16 and 24. And TikTok’s massive popularity has served as a kind of virtual stage for its users, including unsigned and independent bands and singers, to share their creativity to worldwide audiences. It has also given rise to viral trends, internet celebrities, influencers, “challenges,” and marketing.

NORAD’s Santa Tracker

Every December – when visions of sugarplums, the latest iPhone, and mini Ferraris dance in children’s heads – it stands to reason that the little tykes will want to prove to Santa that they’ve been good all year, even if he’s been watching and has them inked onto his naughty list. Still, that probably won’t stop the kiddos from trying to get the drop on Saint Nick before his arrival in their cul-de-sacs. What better and more reliable way to do it than with the help of the North American Aerospace Defense Command’s Santa Tracker website? Every year on December 1st, NORAD’s placeholder website goes live so everyone can spy on ol’ Kris Kringle. Turnabout is fair play, Santa.

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Your Complete Guide to SSL/TLS and HTTPS

Between the ever-increasing global cybersecurity threats and Google’s tightening security standards, it’s more important than ever for business owners to take active measures to safeguard their sites.

Otherwise, you’re putting both yourself and your customers at risk. Not good.

But there’s hope! You can show users that they can trust you by offering them a secure, encrypted experience through something called Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS). To use HTTPS, you will need to purchase a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) or Transport Layer Security (TLS) certificate, which proves that your site is safe. We’ll cover more on this later.

This post will explain what SSL/TLS and HTTPS are and discuss the importance of having these features on your website. Then, we’ll show you how to implement an SSL/TLS certificate. Let’s jump in!

Related: 10 Ways to Secure Your WordPress Website

An Introduction to SSL/TLS and HTTPS

SSL and TLS are certificates that you can add to your website. They create encrypted connections between browsers and web servers. When you visit a site that uses a connection certified with SSL or TLS, only that site can access the data that you send.

SSL is the predecessor to TLS which is now considered outdated and unsafe. However, the acronym ‘SSL’ is often used interchangeably when referring to either type of certificate. Therefore, we’ll be referring to them as ‘SSL/TLS.’

To set up SSL/TLS, you’ll need to install a certificate on your site. This will reassure users that your site is safe. In practice, your site will use the HTTPS protocol for establishing connections. You may recognize this as the secure version of the standard HTTP.

Here’s how HTTPS Protects Your Website

1. Encryption to prevent data from being intercepted during the exchange process.
2. Data integrity so attempts to tamper with the data are detectable.
3. Authentication to prevent attacks and build user trust.

SSL/TLS enables you to deliver your site using HTTPS, which ensures a secure, private connection between your site and your users. If a site’s URL uses http://, it is not secured with SSL/TLS. However, if it uses https:// it is secure — and you need an SSL/TLS certificate to make that happen.

In Google Chrome, you can identify sites that are being served via HTTPS by the padlock icon in the browser bar. When a visitor requests to connect with a website, the page sends the SSL certificate, which contains the public key needed to secure the session. Then, the server and browser enter a process known as the SSL/TLS handshake. In a nutshell, computers communicate with each other to establish a safe connection.

 

Why an SSL/TLS Certificate Is Important for Your Website

Having an SSL/TLS certificate (and, in turn, serving an HTTPS connection) is critical to your website’s security. It ensures that nobody will be able to intercept or access the data transfer between your server and your visitors’ browsers (also known as man-in-the-middle attacks).

These aren’t the only types of attacks. Earlier this year, a vulnerability was found in mitmproxy: an open-source HTTPS proxy that would allow HTTP request smuggling attacks.

With so many security threats plaguing the internet, using the HTTPS protocol is a must. In fact, starting in July 2018, Google Chrome began listing sites that use HTTP as “not secure”:

Losing Google’s trust can severely impact your search rankings. It can also make visitors wary of your site. After all, if their browser warns them that your site could be dangerous, you’re more likely to see a loss in traffic.

The average reaction of a user visiting an unsecured web page.

Google began changing its algorithm back in 2014 to favor sites using SSL certificates. Today, it’s placing even more emphasis on them, stating that those with SSL certificates will outrank those without, even when all other factors are the same.

Another important reason to install an SSL/TLS certificate is if you’re in an industry that requires you to comply with certain standards. For example, in the finance industry, it’s required to meet security standards regarding payment information. The Payment Card Industry (PCI) sets guidelines that site owners must comply with in order to safely accept credit card information on their websites.

Related: How to Accept Payments Through Your WordPress Website

How to Tell if Your Website Is Using SSL/TLS

It’s important to make sure that your website is using an SSL or TLS certificate. It’s also essential to continuously monitor it to make sure that it hasn’t expired. A Keyfactor report found that, within the past two years, 81% of companies faced a certificate-related outage.

If your certificate expires unexpectedly, it can put your site at risk. Outages can take hours to recover, and extended downtime can hurt your business.

Checking whether you have a valid SSL/TLS certificate is a very simple process. To get started, open your website in Google Chrome (or any other browser). Then, check the address bar at the top of your browser to see if your site uses http:// or https://.

You may also see a colored padlock next to the URL. If the color is red, then your site does not use SSL/TLS. However, if your site is secured with SSL/TLS, you may see a green padlock:

However, not all SSL/TLS-certified sites show this icon. Its presence depends on the type of validation used (more on this later). For example, some SSL/TLS certificates will display a simple grey icon instead:

This means that the site may not be secure, but the browser can’t determine for sure either way. If your site does not appear to be secured with SSL/TLS, you might still have a certificate. However, it has most likely expired, which you can check by clicking the warning icon next to the URL:

Here, you can click on the Certificate link to view more information. For example, we can see that this site does have an SSL/TLS certificate, but it has expired:

Finally, it is also possible that you do have a valid, up-to-date SSL/TLS certificate, but your site does not default to using it. In that case, you’ll need to force your site to redirect to HTTPS.

Different Types of SSL Certificates

If you’ve found out that your site doesn’t have an SSL/TLS certificate, you’ll need to purchase one. Before you do that, however, you need to know what kind of certificate you’re looking for.

SSL/TLS certificates come in many forms, all of which have their unique pros and cons. To acquire one, your site will need to be verified by a Certificate Authority (CA). Depending on the type of SSL/TLS certificate you decide to buy, your site will need to be checked for different information.

Your choice of certificate depends largely on your requirements and budget. Let’s go through the different categories to help you find the option that works best for you:

Domain Validation (DV)

This type of certificate requires you to prove that you have the right to use a specific domain. This makes it the least secure option. However, it’s also the cheapest type of SSL/TLS certificate, and you might even be able to acquire one for free. You can also get one approved very quickly — even within minutes. This is recommended for smaller sites that don’t handle sensitive data, such as blogs or portfolios.

Organization Validation (OV)

This is a more secure option, which requires a more thorough check of your website. The CA will vet your organization to ensure that you are legitimate and trustworthy. As such, this is also slightly more expensive and will take a little longer to acquire. However, this type of certificate is recommended for larger sites that handle user data and purchasing.

Extended Validation (EV)

This is the most secure option but also the most costly and time-consuming. Acquiring extended validation requires a thorough vetting process and is usually more expensive than the previous option. This also means that it takes the longest to be approved. This type of certificate is geared towards very large, high-traffic sites, such as e-commerce businesses and official government sites.

As we pointed out earlier, the type of SSL/TLS certificate you need is entirely dependent on your site’s purpose and requirements. We recommend that you read more about the different certificate levels to make sure that you’re picking the right option.

Where to Get an SSL/TLS Certificate for Your Website

At this point, you know that you need an SSL/TLS certificate. What’s more, you have an idea of the type of certificate that your site requires. Now, you just need to purchase one.

You can get an SSL/TLS certificate from a CA, such as GlobalSign. In addition, some hosting providers offer them as free extras or bundled in with their paid plans.

At DreamHost, SSL/TLS certificates can be easily added to your site from your control panel. Let’s take a look at the available options:

Sectigo-verified SSL

This is a DV certificate (previously known as Comodo) that costs $15 per year. It will ensure that your site appears in browsers as fully secured. This makes it the best option for commercial sites or sites that handle sensitive data.

Let’s Encrypt SSL/TLS

This is yet another free DV certificate, but one that is more secure than the previous option. The Let’s Encrypt certificate is almost as secure as Sectigo. As such, it’s ideal for smaller sites that don’t handle much personal data, such as blogs.

If you already have a DreamHost account, you can acquire one of these certificates by navigating to Websites > Secure Certificates in your control panel. Here, you’ll see all of your domains and the available SSL/TLS options:

Click on the Add button next to your domain name. This will take you to a screen where you’ll be able to choose between a free Let’s Encrypt SSL Certificate or a paid Sectigo DV Certificate.

When you’ve decided which option is best for your site, click on Select this Certificate:

Your DreamHost website will now be protected by SSL/TLS. Please allow 15 minutes for the changes to be pushed to the server.

However, you might be wondering: what if I want to use an SSL/TLS certificate I’ve already purchased elsewhere? In the next section, we’ll show you how to install a certificate that was purchased from a third party.

How to Install an SSL/TLS Certificate on Your WordPress Website (2 Options)

If you’ve bought an SSL/TLS certificate from an external CA, you’ll need to connect it to your site and install it. The process can vary depending on your site, your web host, and the type of certificate you’ve chosen.

However, there are two basic methods for installing an SSL/TLS certificate: using a plugin and your hosting control panel. Let’s take a closer look at each method.

Option 1: Install the Really Simple SSL Plugin

One of the easiest ways to add an SSL/TLS certificate to your site is to use a plugin. Really Simple SSL is a tool that lives up to its name:

The tool is free to download and install, though a premium version is available. It’s also incredibly easy to use, with a simple configuration process and a user-friendly interface.

The plugin will perform the entire installation and activation process for you. All you need is an SSL/TLS certificate, and the tool handles pretty much everything else.

Start by installing and activating Really Simple SSL on your WordPress site. Then, a message will appear in your dashboard with some additional information about what you need to do before activating  SSL/TLS. Make sure you complete all of these steps before you proceed:

If your site already has a connected SSL/TLS certificate, you will see the option Go ahead, activate SSL! If you click on that button, the plugin will install and activate your certificate.

However, if you haven’t added SSL/TLS via your web host, you’ll see a message informing you of that fact. You will need to return to your host’s dashboard or control panel, and follow their specific guidelines for adding your certificate.

Once you’ve done that, you can return to your WordPress dashboard and activate your SSL/TLS certificate:

During the installation process, the tool will keep you updated on the status. You can view some tasks that you may still need to tend to as well as refresh the process at any point.

Option 2: Use the DreamHost Control Panel

We’ve already shown you how DreamHost makes it easy to purchase and activate an SSL/TLS certificate from your control panel. You can use a similar process to add a third-party certificate.

First, you’ll need to log in to your account and navigate to Websites > Secure Certificates. Then, select the Import a Certificate tab. On this screen, you’ll be able to install a third-party SSL/TLS certificate on your site:

You will need to add the SSL/TLS certificate, along with your private key and the certificate signing request. If you have an intermediate certificate, you will also need to add that information here. It’s important that these all come from the same CA and were purchased simultaneously, otherwise, they will not be compatible.

Also, you’ll want to make sure that you include everything when you add in this information. For example, when you paste in your certificate, you should also include the lines —–BEGIN CERTIFICATE—– and —–END CERTIFICATE—– at the beginning and end respectively.

When you have added all the necessary details, click on Save changes. If the SSL/TLS certificate is valid and you’ve entered everything correctly, it will now be active on your site.

You can test to make sure that the process worked correctly by using the method we showed you earlier. Simply access your site in a browser and ensure that it uses https:// and has a green padlock next to the URL (if relevant). If it does, you’ve successfully added SSL/TLS to your WordPress website!

Are There Risks in Switching Your Site to HTTPS?

The risks of switching your site from HTTP to HTTPS are minimal, and the benefits far outweigh any potential drawbacks. The only real risk is that your site could be temporarily unavailable during the process. However, this is usually a very minor issue that can be resolved quickly.

That said, there are some things to be aware of when moving from HTTP to HTTPS. The best way to ensure a safe, smooth transition is to plan ahead.

Before you begin the migration process, it’s important to make sure that the SSL certificate you purchased works. You can do that by using the SSL Labs testing tool:

You’ll also want to create a detailed migration and redirect plan. A 301 redirect should be placed on each HTTP URL pointing to its HTTPS equivalent.

There are also a handful of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) factors to consider. You’ll want to make sure your XML sitemap is updated and includes only your HTTPS URLs. It’s also important to update all of your internal links, as well as any external links pointing to your site that you have control over.

We also recommend using the help of a developer or WordPress expert to assist in the migration process. After the migration is complete, check to ensure that your HTTPS version is connected to your Google Analytics and Search Console accounts.

The Future of Website Security

As the internet continues to evolve, so does the need for website security. In the past, security updates were released on an as-needed basis, typically in response to a specific threat or vulnerability that had been discovered.

However, today’s website security climate is much different. With the rise of sophisticated attacks and new threats appearing every day, website owners can no longer afford to wait until something goes wrong to take action.

Instead, they need to be proactive about website security and always be on the lookout for new ways to protect their online assets. This means staying up to date on the latest security trends and keeping an eye out for new updates that can help improve your website’s defenses.

The future of website security is always evolving, and keeping up with the latest trends and technologies can be a challenge. In the coming years, we expect to see a number of major security updates that could have a significant impact on the way website owners protect their sites. Let’s take a look at some emerging trends that we think will play a role in the future of website security.

Default Switch to HTTPS

One of the biggest changes in store for website security is the switch to HTTPS by default. This change has been in the works for several years, but it’s finally starting to become a reality.

Google has been pushing for this change since 2014, and it has even started giving preference to HTTPS sites in their search results. Therefore, all websites should make the switch to HTTPS if they want to stay ahead of the curve. Not only will it help with SEO, but it will also make your site more secure for your users.

New Domain Name Security Features

To help protect against domain name hijacking, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) introduced a new set of security features for all domains registered after January 1, 2018. These features include Domain Lock, which prevents unauthorized changes to DNS records, and Registrar Lock, which prevents unauthorized transfer of a domain to another registrar.

Currently, these security measures are not mandatory. However, they’ll likely become more popular because they could go a long way in protecting your domain name from being hijacked.

Another big change that’s coming in 2022 is the introduction of the Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC). This new security protocol will help protect DNS servers from being exploited and will make it harder for attackers to spoof DNS records.

DNSSEC is already being used by some of the biggest companies in the world, including Google, Facebook, and Netflix. It’s only a matter of time before it becomes a requirement for all websites.

More Sophisticated Attacks

As hackers become more clever, we can expect to see more sophisticated attacks. This could include everything from targeted phishing attacks to large-scale Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks. Website owners need to be prepared for these threats and have a recovery plan in place.

Increased Regulation

With the introduction of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other data privacy regulations, we can expect to see increased scrutiny on how website owners collect and use personal data. This could lead to more stringent requirements for websites, as well as greater penalties for those who fail to comply with the new regulations.

Greater Awareness of Security Risks

As website security becomes more of a mainstream concern, we can expect to see more people taking steps to protect their online information. This could include everything from using strong passwords to investing in website security products and services. By staying up to date on the latest website security trends, you can help keep your site safe from attack.

Secure Your WordPress Website

Keeping your website secure is an ever-present consideration, and it’s equally important to ensure that your users know they can trust you. By adding an SSL/TLS certificate to your site and forcing secure connections through HTTPS, you can protect yourself and your users, while making sure everybody knows your site is safe to use.

Fortunately, there are several different types of SSL/TLS certificates available. Finding a certificate that matches your requirements shouldn’t be difficult, once you know what you need. You may even be able to get one through your web host. What’s more, installing an SSL/TLS certificate is also a breeze, thanks to WordPress and DreamHost.

At DreamHost, our plans come with a variety of Managed Security features. Check them out today to learn more about how DreamHost can streamline the security of your site!

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The post Your Complete Guide to SSL/TLS and HTTPS appeared first on Website Guides, Tips & Knowledge.

source https://www.dreamhost.com/blog/ultimate-guide-ssl-tls/

A Comprehensive Guide to Website Caching

As a website owner, one of your main goals is to drive more traffic to your site. However, if your visitors experience slow page speeds once they get there, this can cause them to leave without reading your content. In this scenario, all of your hard work will have gone to waste.

Fortunately, you can improve User Experience (UX) by implementing caching on your website. This involves saving a copy of your site’s files so visitors don’t have to wait for this data to be sent from the web server to their browser. Caching your site can effectively improve loading times and avoid overworking your server.

In this post, we’ll talk about caching and how it can benefit your website. Then, we’ll show you how to implement caching in WordPress using two different methods. Let’s get started!

An Introduction to Caching

When someone visits your website for the first time, their browser requests your origin server to send over the site’s data. This usually only takes a few seconds, but there are a few factors that can slow down this process.

Most web servers require a physical server location, so geography matters. If the user is very far away from your server, they’ll likely face slow page speeds. Your site may also load slower if your content contains lots of images or large files.

This is where caching comes into play. Caching reduces content delivery time by saving a copy of your website upon an initial visit. That means when a user visits your site a second time, the saved cache is ready and waiting. This can prevent the browser from using its resources to load the entire site files again.

Types of Caches

There are many different types of caches, but these are two of the most common choices:

• Client-side caching. This happens when a web browser stores a copy of a website’s data onto a user’s hard drive. A browser cache can avoid downloading the same data every time, which can strain the server.
• Server-side caching: Instead of storing site files on a user’s hard drive, this web cache saves data on the server. This commonly involves using a Content Delivery Network (CDN).

Less common but also a good option, is object caching. This technique saves database queries to limit the number of requests sent to a database. Additionally, opcode caching saves a compiled PHP code to a server’s memory.

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The Benefits of Website Caching

Regardless of the type you use, caching can lead to better page loading speed and Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Plus, this can improve your visitors’ experience when they return to your site a second time.

Moreover, one of the main benefits of caching is that it can improve site performance. That’s because when you enable caching, your content can load much faster. By saving files locally, browsers can easily access your website without having to request your site files over and over.

Related: Your Guide to Improving SEO Rankings

Furthermore, studies show that if your content takes more than three seconds to load, 40% of users will abandon your site. Therefore, when you implement caching, you can easily decrease your bounce rates. By doing this, you can create a less frustrating experience for your visitors.

Additionally, caching your site’s files can help improve SEO. That’s because when Google evaluates your site, it considers page speed as a search ranking factor. This means that caching can be just as important as other SEO techniques such as targeting keywords..

Although caching can speed up your website on follow-up visits, your browser will continue to process initial HTTP requests. Along with caching, you should consider other reasons for slow page speed and try to optimize your content for performance..

If you’re not sure how fast your website is, you can easily test its speed. Using a tool such as Pingdom, you can search for your URL to analyze your loading time:

Keep in mind that you shouldn’t be discouraged by any negative results. You can quickly and easily fix this problem by upgrading your hosting plan, optimizing CSS files, and implementing caching.

Related: Optimize Your WordPress Website for Speed

How to Implement Caching in WordPress (2 Methods)

Once you decide that caching is a good option for your website, it’s time to implement it. Although you can manually enable caching with HTTP headers, there are some simpler alternatives. Let’s discuss two easy methods to cache your WordPress site!

1. Use Your Host’s Caching Service

Before you install a caching plugin, it’s a good idea to see if your hosting provider already has a caching service. Most web hosts have a preferred method that may already be set up on your website.

Here at DreamHost, our managed WordPress hosting plans come with built-in caching. Using this option, you won’t have to worry about installing a plugin and learning its configuration:

When you sign up for a DreamPress plan, you’ll receive a built-in server cache. In your WordPress dashboard, you’ll also see that the Proxy Cache Purge plugin comes preinstalled:

This caching plugin is a tool that you can use to manage your cache. If you open the Check Caching page, you can enter the URL of your website or a specific page:

Then, click on Check URL to view a report of any caching issues. You’ll also be able to view information about your active cookies, as well as any theme conflicts:

If your website receives lots of international visitors, you may also want to use a Content Delivery Network (CDN). This is a globally-distributed group of servers that cache your website’s content, which speeds up loading times even when users are distanced from your server.

Some web hosts provide a CDN with their plans. For example, our advanced managed hosting options come with an unlimited CDN provided by Cloudflare. If you want to implement this caching service on your website, you can take a look at our DreamPress Plus and Pro plans.

2. Install a Caching Plugin

If your web host doesn’t provide a built-in caching service, you can install a caching plugin. This is likely necessary if you self-host your website or have a shared hosting plan. Most caching plugins provide customizable settings, which are simple for beginners to configure.

However, with so many options available, you might not know how to pick the right plugin. When reviewing any tool, be sure to keep these factors in mind:

• Features: It’s important to evaluate each plugin’s description to see how it works and if it would be an effective option for your site’s data.
• Reviews and ratings: Often, high user ratings can tell you if other website owners have found success using a certain plugin or if they’ve frequently had issues with it.
• Updates: To prevent incompatibilities, it’s a good idea to only install plugins that have been updated in the past six months.
• Support: When you experience a problem, you’ll want to receive fast, informative help from the plugin’s developers.
• Price: Many caching plugins are free, but the premium versions can offer extended features and support.

Once you pick the right option for your website, consider using it on a staging site to test its functionality and performance.

Top 3 Caching Plugins

Now that you know what to look for, let’s go over our top picks for caching plugins!

1. WP Super Cache

Since it was developed by Automattic, WP Super Cache is one of the most popular WordPress caching plugins. It works by generating static HTML files instead of heavy PHP scripts. This allows 99% of your visitors to experience a faster loading speed after this caching process.

One of the main benefits of WP Super Cache is its three different caching modes. Whether you are a beginner or an expert, you can select a caching option to meet your needs. For example, beginners can avoid editing PHP files by setting the plugin to the ‘Simple’ mode.

Features:

• 3 caching modes (Simple, Expert, and WP-Cache caching)
• Enable cache timeouts or schedule garbage collection
• Integration with OSSDL CDN off-linker
• REST API endpoints

Price: WP Super Cache is a free WordPress plugin.

2. WP Rocket

If you need a powerful caching plugin without an extensive configuration process, consider installing WP Rocket. This plugin automatically applies 80% of best practices when it comes to web performance. With only a few clicks, you can start optimizing your WordPress website for speed.

Although WP Rocket doesn’t offer a free version, its cutting-edge speed technology is worth considering. With just its basic features, WP Rocket enables page caching, browser caching, and GZIP compression. Plus, you can also use this plugin to delay JavaScript execution, remove excess CSS, and edit the display options for images and iframes.

Features:

• Page and browser caching
• GZIP compression
• Compatible with popular themes and plugins
• Ecommerce optimization

Price: WP Rocket subscription plans start at $49 per year. This includes plugin updates and support for one website.

3: LiteSpeed Cache

Unlike the other plugins on this list, LiteSpeed Cache creates a server-level cache. It works alongside your server, pointing out cacheable web pages. This plugin is best used with a LiteSpeed Web Server, but its QUIC.cloud CDN service enables you to use LiteSpeed cache with any server.

With the LiteSpeed Cache plugin, you can store a copy of your website content to reduce your number of server requests. This tool includes automatic page caching, with separate web caching for both mobile and desktop views. Using this tool’s simple interface, even beginners can customize their image and page optimization.

Features:

• Minifies CSS, JavaScript, and HTML
• Optimizes images
• Supports WordPress Multisite
• Compatible with WooCommerce, bbPress, and Yoast SEO

Price: LiteSpeed Cache is a free plugin. However, you’ll need to have a LiteSpeed Web Server or QUIC.cloud CDN service to access this server-level cache.

Keep Website Visitors Happy with Faster Load Times

Ultimately, caching your WordPress website is one of the best options for speeding up your content. After you implement a browser or server-level cache, returning visitors can access your website using its cached data. This avoids the need to completely reload heavy files a second time.

To get started with caching, you can easily install a caching plugin such as WP Super Cache. Due to its customizable caching modes, you can choose an option that aligns with your experience level. Plus, it’s absolutely free.

As an easier alternative, you can use the caching service from your hosting provider. Here at DreamHost, our managed WordPress hosting solutions optimize your website’s speed with a built-in cache. Check out our hassle-free DreamPress plans today!

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The post A Comprehensive Guide to Website Caching appeared first on Website Guides, Tips & Knowledge.

source https://www.dreamhost.com/blog/a-comprehensive-guide-to-website-caching/