How to fix ssl error on BigCommerce
Replace or reissue your SSL/TLS certificate so it is valid for the exact domain name your store uses, eliminating the hostname mismatch error.
Steps for BigCommerce
- BigCommerce automatically provisions SSL for your store's default domain (*.mybigcommerce.com) and for custom domains connected through their system.
- Go to: BigCommerce Admin → Store Setup → Domain.
- If your custom domain has an SSL issue, verify that your DNS CNAME record points to your BigCommerce store URL (shown in the Domain settings page).
- Remove the custom domain and re-add it to trigger a fresh certificate provisioning if the mismatch persists.
- For multi-storefront setups, each domain must be added separately and have its own DNS record pointing to BigCommerce.
- Contact BigCommerce Support if automatic provisioning fails after DNS is confirmed correct.
What is ssl error?
Every HTTPS website uses an SSL/TLS certificate to prove its identity to browsers and to encrypt the connection. The certificate must explicitly list the domain name (or names) it is allowed to protect. A "hostname mismatch" error means the certificate installed on your server was issued for a different domain than the one visitors are actually trying to reach — for example, the certificate covers "www.yourstore.com" but not "yourstore.com" (or vice versa), or it was issued for a completely different domain altogether. Browsers and security scanners treat this as a critical failure and refuse to establish a trusted connection.
When a hostname mismatch exists, most modern browsers display a full-page "Your connection is not private" warning before visitors can even see your store. This kills conversions — the majority of shoppers will leave immediately rather than click through a security warning. Google also uses HTTPS as a ranking signal and can demote or omit pages it cannot crawl securely. Beyond lost sales and rankings, transmitting payment and personal data over an untrusted connection is a serious security risk and may violate PCI DSS compliance requirements for accepting card payments. This maps directly to OWASP A02:2021 — Cryptographic Failures.
See the complete Ssl error guide for every platform and the full background.
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