ArvanCloud offers a free SSL certificate, as a part of its cloud CDN services. Enabling this service in your user panel helps you secure the connection between your website and its visitors.
To prevent a common error known as Mixed Content, you need to ensure that all your website links are loaded in HTTPS. In this user guide from ArvanCloud, we will take a look at the Mixed Content error, how to enable mixed content on your browser and how to fix your website’s mixed content.
What Causes the Mixed Content Error?
The mixed content error occurs when both HTTP and HTTPS assets are being loaded from a web page that was requested to be fetched as HTTPS. The browser receives a secured page that includes insecure resources like videos, images, or scripts, and blocks this mixed content to protect its user.
Starting a trend, Mozilla Firefox was the first browser to block mixed content for versions 23 and higher in 2013. Other browser engines have taken similar actions ever since. Mixed content is now blocked by default in browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Safari.
Types of Mixed Content
Mixed content is either passive or active. While passive mixed content is considered less risky and can be easily treated, active mixed content is disruptive. Furthermore, browsers interact differently with passive and active mixed content.
Passive Mixed Content Error
In this type of Mixed Content error, the assets that are being loaded as HTTP are audio files, videos, images, and objects that do not interact with the rest of the website. Even though these types of mixed content can also be threatening, they are not as dangerous as active mixed content.
Passive mixed content can only be interacted with directly. For instance, an attacker can change the image file that is loaded over HTTP and replace it with another image or can track which webpages you visit by following the HTTP content your browser interacted with. However, an attacker cannot access your private information or redirect you to another website.
Passive mixed content is treated differently by browsers. Currently, Google Chrome will attempt to auto-upgrade content to HTTPS and will block them if they fail to load over HTTPS. Mozilla Firefox, on the other hand, allows mixed content but warns users that they are visiting an insecure website.
Active Mixed Content Error
The Active Mixed Content error happens when the content that is loaded over HTTP is interacting with the whole page. In these types of websites, an attacker can change the whole content, access private information, and redirect the client to an entirely different page. When an active mixed content error occurs, one or more of the assets being loaded as HTTP are:
<script> → SRC
<link> → href (CSS as well)
XMLHttpRequest → Object
<iframe> → SRC
CSS (@font-face, background-image,…) → URL
<object> → Data
Most browsers completely block these sorts of resources to prevent attacks. However, their settings can be changed.
Does Mixed Content Affect SEO?
Yes. Security is one of the parameters affecting SEO and having an SSL certificate increases your search engine ranking. Furthermore, browsers’ mixed content warning scares away your website’s visitors, resulting in a higher bounce rate and worse user experience. Lower user interaction severely impacts the ranking of your website.
By upgrading your website to HTTPS and replacing HTTP assets, your website will rise in search engine ranking.
How to Fix the Mixed Content Error
An HTTP asset that is loaded on an HTTPS site causes a mixed content error. To fix this, you must find all HTTP assets on your page and change them to HTTPS.
How to Fix WordPress Mixed Content Issue
If you are using a website created with WordPress and already own a valid SSL certificate, there are a few ways to upgrade your content to HTTPS.
Note: Back up your website before making any changes.
- Upgrade your website URL to HTTPS
By upgrading your URL to HTTPS, search engines will treat your website as HTTPS.
Go to: Settings > General Settings > URL
Enter your website address with HTTPS
- Use the Insecure Content Fixer PluginThe Insecure Content Fixer plugin automatically upgrades all your content to HTTPS. This plugin has 5 different levels that you can choose from.
- Use the Really Simple SSL Plugin
This plugin easily set your website to serve on HTTPS protocol. It also helps issue an SSL with just a click for your domains.
- Another way to upgrade your content to HTTPS is by using ArvanCloud’s CDN service. This service automatically changes all your content to HTTPS, making your website secure.
How to Fix the Mixed Content Error on a Non-WordPress Website
To fix the mixed content on a non-WordPress website, you should replace all HTTP files with HTTPS manually. You can use online tools such as the WhyNoPadlocks website to locate the assets being loaded as HTTP.
Alternatively, you could use the ArvanCloud CDN service‘s “Rewrite Files Based on HTTPS” feature. This feature is integrated with ArvanCloud’s CDN service and automatically rewrites all your assets to the HTTPS format.
How To Enable Mixed Content On My Browser?
You may have noticed the mixed content warning or opened a website that is disabled due to the mixed content error. Follow this article to learn how to fix blocked mixed content on Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge.
Warning: opening your browser to insecure content will make you vulnerable to cyber-attacks.
Edge
To enable access to a site in Microsoft Edge, in the settings go to cookies and site permissions and open insecure content. There, you can enter the URL of websites that you wish to visit.
Chrome
To fix the mixed content error in Chrome, you should first open the website’s security settings through the padlock symbol in the search bar. There, you can find the insecure content option. Set the option to allow insecure content.
Mozilla Firefox
To visit an inaccessible website in Firefox, first, click on the padlock symbol in the search bar. If you click the arrow, you will see the “disable protection for now” option that can give you access to the website.
Safari
Safari automatically disables all HTTP content in HTTPS websites and does not allow users to access them. To visit websites with mixed content, try using other browsers.
ArvanCloud offers a free SSL certificate for your website, making it secure and trustworthy for users and browsers.