Installing a Standard SSL Certificate from Media Temple

• Applies to: Shared Hosting
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Time Needed: 10
  • Tools Required: Account Center access
• Applies to: Grid
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Time Needed: 10
  • Tools Required: Account Center access
• Applies to: Legacy DV Hosting
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Time Needed: 10
  • Tools Required: Account Center access
• Applies to: VPS Hosting
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Time Needed: 10
  • Tools Required: Account Center access
• Applies to: Premium WP / Managed WP Pro, Personal, Elite
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Time Needed: 10
  • Tools Required: Account Center access
• Applies to: Managed WordPress Hosting
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Time Needed: 10
  • Tools Required: Account Center access

Overview

All Managed WordPress sites (Ultimate, Pro5, Pro10, Pro25, and newer) have the ability to secure your primary domain with a free SSL certificate. Having an SSL means your site and visitors are protected through encryption. The following guide will provide instructions on how to utilize this included feature.

One free SSL is included with each site slot. If you have a Pro5 account, which has 5 site slots, you will be able to validate up to 5 primary domains.

NOTE:
If you change your primary domain, the current SSL will be revoked, and the new primary domain will get a new SSL.

Installing the SSL

1. Log into your Media Temple Account.
2. Select the blue ADMIN button associated to your Managed WordPress Hosting.
   
3. Select the for your site, and then select Settings.
   
4. In the Domains section, select the Add drop-down and change the primary domain to your desired domain.
5. If you need to connect the DNS of your website to your Managed WordPress, a pop-up will appear. You can update your website's DNS by logging into the provider where your namesevers are pointed, and then change the A-records to the IP address provided to you.
   
6. Once connected, you may also need to verify domain ownership. An email with verification instructions will be sent to the Account Owner. If you want your SSL to include "www",  we recommend using TXT verfication.
   
7. Once verified, you should see a padlock icon next to your domain to indicate that the SSL is installed.
   
8. Great! The SSL is now installed to your site. We recommend setting up an automatic redirect to HTTPS. If you do not setup an automatic redirect, visitors might accidentally end up on http, in which case they won't be protected by the SSL.

Verifying the SSL

Once you have submitted the information for your SSL, verification will be required. There are four ways you will be able to verify ownership of the domain you are trying to secure.

Method 1 - Auto Verify

For domains that have been added to your Media Temple account , and with nameservers pointed to:

• ns1.mediatemple.net
• ns2.mediatemple.net

These domains will auto-verify and do not require any manual verification.

Method 2: HTML Verification

This method will assume that you have pointed your domain's DNS to Media Temple.

1. Access your files using FTP, SSH, or File Manager.
2. As mentioned previously, the (mt) Account Owner should have reiceved an email with a unique ID.
3. Navigate to your domain’s root directory.
4. Once in your root directory, create a file path /.well-known/pki-validation/godaddy.html
5. Copy just your unique ID, and place it inside the godaddy.html file.
6. You may need to wait a a few minutes for the verification to process the new file. But that's it!

For Subdomains:
The godaddy.html file MUST be placed on the subdomain. For example if you have an SSL for blog.example.com, the godaddy.html file must be placed in the file path blog.example.com/.well-known/pki-validation/godaddy.html.

For Redirects:
If your site has a redirect on it (ie: example.com to www.example.com) the SSL may have difficulty verifying. If your site redirects, contact your developer so they may temporarily disable any redirects, or they can attempt to make an rewrite exception for /.well-known/pki-validation/godaddy.html. For sites using mod_rewrite, a possible exception rule could be: RewriteRule ^(.well-known) - [L]

Method 3: DNS Verification

To utilize this method, you will need to log into the account where your DNS is hosted. If you are unsure of where your DNS is hosted, feel free to check out the article below:

• How can I find out where my website is hosted?

Once you are logged into the appropriate account, follow the instructions below:

1. As mentioned previously, the (mt) Account Owner should have reiceved an email with a unique ID.
2. Add a new record.
3. For record type select "TXT".
4. If your zone files are managed at Media Temple, leave the subdomain field blank. Other hosts may require you to use an '@' in the subdomain field.
5. For the value following the subdomain, enter your Unique ID.
6. Below is an example of what the record should generally look like. But as a reminder, you MUST to create this record where your DNS is hosted (this may or may not be Media Temple):
   

Please keep in mind that due to DNS propogation, verification may take up to 24 hours to complete. It is unlikely that verification will take 24 hours, but it can occur and is part of the normal verification process. You should also receive a second confirmation email once the certificate has been issued.

DNS Verification for Subdomains:
The unique code MUST be entered on the PARENT domain. For example, if you have an SSL for shop.example.com, you will want to put the TXT record on example.com and NOT shop.example.com.

Overview

The following article provides information on how to install an SSL that has been purchased through (mt) Media Temple. If you wish to purchase an SSL from Media Temple, feel free to visit our website at https://mediatemple.net/services/ssl/ for detailed instructions on how to place an SSL order click on the article below:

• Ordering a Standard SSL Certificate from Media Temple

If you've purchased an SSL from a third-party provider, you will want to refer to a different set of instructions which can be found below:

• Installing a third-party SSL Certificate

Instructions

Step 1 - Automated installation

This option can be used if your domain has been added to your Media Temple account.

1. Sign into the Account Center.
2. From the Overview page, scroll down to the Add-On Services section. Then click on the Manage button next to the SSL certificate.
   
   
3. Click on Install/Reinstall SSL Certificate.
   
4. Click the Install button associated to your server.
   
5. A message should prompt to let you know installation was completed.
   

After installing through the Account Center, you will want to log into Plesk or cPanel to ensure your site is using the newly installed SSL.

Step 2 - Plesk

The following screenshots are taken from a server using Plesk Obsidian (18.0.26).

1. Sign into the Plesk Control Panel for your domain.
2. Click on Hosting Settings.
   
   
3. Click on the Certificate drop-down and select your certificate.
   
4. Scroll to the bottom and click  .
5. That's it! Your SSL should now be successfully installed.

Step 2 - cPanel

For cPanel, there typically should not be additional steps required for your install. However, if you wish to check your server to be certain the install was successful, you can do so by logging into the cPanel account for your domain. The following screenshots are taken from a server using the cPanel theme (paper_lantern).

1. Log into the cPanel account for your domain.
2. Click SSL/TLS.
   
   
3. Click Manage SSL Sites.
   
   
4. Click Certificate Details.
   
   
5. The certificate details here should match the SSL in your Account Center.
   
6. That's it! Your SSL should now be successfully installed.

Manual installation

This option can be used if you are experiencing difficulties with automatic installation, or simply prefer to manually install your SSL.

1. Sign into the Account Center.
2. From the Overview page, scroll down to the Add-On Services section. Then click on the Manage button next to the SSL certificate.
   
   
3. Click on View/Download Certificate Info.
   
   
4. Keep a note of the Private Key, SSL Certificate, and CA / Chain Certificate information as this will need to be copy/pasted into cPanel or Plesk for manual installation.
   

Plesk

The following screenshots are taken from a server using Plesk Obsidian (18.0.26).

1. Sign into the Plesk Control Panel for your domain.
2. Click on SSL/TLS certificates.
   
3. Click .
4. Click  .
5. Input a name for your certificate.
   
6. Copy/Paste the Private Key, SSL Certificate, and CA Certificate from your Media Temple account, into each associated box in Plesk.
   
7. Click  .
8. Return to the Plesk Control Panel for your domain.
9. Click on Hosting Settings.
   
10. Click on the Certificate drop-down and select your certificate.
    
11. Scroll to the bottom and click  .
12. That's it! Your SSL should now be successfully installed.

cPanel

1. Log into the cPanel account for your domain.
2. Scroll down to Security. Then click SSL/TLS.
   
   
3. Click on Manage SSL Sites.
   
   
4. Click on the drop-down and select your domain.
   
5. Copy/paste the Private Key, SSL Certificate, and CA Certificate into each associated box.
   
   
6. Then click .
7. A message should appear to inform you if the SSL was installed successfully.
   
8. That's it! Your SSL should now be successfully installed.

Instructions

Automated Installation

This option can be used if your domain has been added to your Media Temple account.

1. Log into your Media Temple account.
2. From the Overview page, scroll down to the Add-On Services section. Then click on the Manage button next to the SSL certificate.
   
   
3. Click Install / Reinstall SSL Certificate.
   
   
4. Click the INSTALL button associated to your Grid server.
   
5. A pop-up message will appear to let you know that the current SSL (if any) will be removed and replaced with this new SSL. Click OK to continue.
   
6. That's it! Your SSL should now be successfully installed. You may need to wait a few minutes for your SSL install to propagate.
   

Manual Installation

This option can be used if you are experiencing difficulties with automatic installation, or simply prefer to manually install your SSL.

1. Log into your Media Temple account.
2. From the Overview page, scroll down to the Add-On Services section. Then click on the Manage button next to the SSL certificate.
   
   
3. Click on View/Download Certificate Info.
   
   
4. Leave this page open, as we will need to copy & paste this information later.
   
5. Open a new tab/window to your Overview page.
   
6. To manually install your SSL:
   
   • For Grid Personal, Pro, and Elite:
     • Click on the blue ADMIN button associated to your Grid.
       
     • On the left-hand side, look for SITES. Then click on your domain name.
       
     • Click on SSL Options.
       
   • For (gs) Grid Service, Grid Lite:
     • Click on the the domain you wish to install the SSL to.
       
     • Click on Manage SSL Certificate Options.
       
7. Click on IMPORT CERTIFICATE.
   
8. Copy & Paste the certificate information from the page that we had left open earlier.
   
9. Click .
10. That's it! Your SSL should now be successfully installed.

Instructions

Automated Installation

This option can be used if your domain has been added to your Media Temple account.

1. Log into your Media Temple account.
2. From the Overview page, scroll down to the Add-On Services section. Then click on the Manage button next to the SSL certificate.
   
   
3. Click Install / Reinstall SSL Certificate.
   
4. Click the INSTALL button associated to your Managed WordPress server.
   
   • To use the automated install, the domain must be the primary domain name on the site.
     
5. Due to propagation, you may need to wait up to 24-48 hours for the changes to reflect in a web browser.
   
6. That's it! Your SSL should now be successfully installed.

Still having trouble installing your Media Temple SSL Certificate? Feel free to contact our 24/7 Support Team!

Instructions

1. Sign into the Account Center.
2. From the Overview page, scroll down to the Add-On Services section. Then click on the Manage button next to the SSL certificate.
   
   
3. Click on View/Download Certificate Info.
   
4. Leave this page open, as we will need to copy & paste this information later.
   
5. Log into the cPanel account for your domain.
6. Scroll down to Security. Then click SSL/TLS.
   
   
7. Click on Manage SSL Sites.
   
   
8. Click on the drop-down and select your domain.
   
9. Copy/paste the Private Key, SSL Certificate, and CA Certificate into each associated box.
   
   
10. Then click .
11. A message should appear to inform you if the SSL was installed successfully.
    
12. That's it! Your SSL should now be successfully installed.