The day starts with a phone call: “Our website says it isn't secure.” The warning email was missed, the certificate expired, and browsers are now showing customers an error.

Everything becomes urgent. Someone must contact support or find a technician, buy the renewal, and restore the site. Meanwhile, visitors may decide the business cannot be trusted.

We see this situation among small businesses using traditional domain and hosting packages, including customers with Register.it and Aruba.it. Some customers have shown us costs close to EUR 170 per year for the certificate alone. That is not the price of every plan, but it is a significant cost for something that can be automated.

The certificate is only part of the problem

The real problem is having to remember a technical deadline every year. If nobody sees the right email, the site can be disrupted and routine maintenance becomes an emergency.

Hosting is often part of the same problem. The site is slow, images have not been optimized, and nobody clearly owns security, backups, or performance. The domain, DNS, certificate, and hosting are managed as separate items.

The better approach is to operate the website as one service. That is why we propose moving the complete setup to AWS after reviewing how the current site works.

What changes when the website moves to AWS?

For a brochure site or one with mostly static content, we normally use four parts:

  • Amazon CloudFront delivers pages from infrastructure closer to visitors.
  • Amazon S3 stores the website files securely.
  • AWS Certificate Manager manages the HTTPS certificate.
  • Monitoring and alerts help us confirm the service is working.

The public certificate provided by AWS Certificate Manager and used with CloudFront has no additional charge, according to the official AWS pricing page.

Renewal is automatic while the certificate remains connected to the service and the domain verification record stays in place. AWS explains these conditions in its automatic renewal documentation.

In practical terms, there is no annual certificate to buy and install by hand. We still monitor the service because automatic renewal does not remove the need for management.

Area Traditional hosting Managed website on AWS
Certificate May require a purchase and renewal No additional charge with CloudFront and automatic renewal
Speed Depends on the server and hosting package CloudFront delivers content closer to visitors
Growth May require moving to another package Resources can adjust as traffic changes
Management Several deadlines and separate responsibilities One documented and monitored environment

Some traditional packages already include automatic certificates or a CDN. We therefore compare the real contract, measured website performance, and total cost before recommending a move.

Does AWS make the website faster automatically?

CloudFront can reduce loading time by storing copies of suitable content in different locations and delivering it from the location best placed to serve the visitor. AWS explains this process in its CloudFront guide.

Moving a slow website without changing it is not enough. During migration, we can:

  • reduce heavy images;
  • remove unused scripts, fonts, and plugins;
  • configure caching and compression;
  • fix redirects and errors;
  • test mobile pages and contact forms.

We measure the site before and after the work. This makes the improvement visible instead of relying on a general speed promise.

What does it really cost?

AWS removes the public certificate charge when the certificate is used with CloudFront, but the rest of the environment is not free. AWS infrastructure, migration, and ongoing management still have costs.

For a small static site with little traffic, infrastructure costs can be modest because charges follow usage. A dynamic site such as WordPress may also need a server, database, backups, and updates.

We prepare an estimate based on the actual website before proposing a migration. The useful comparison is the complete annual cost, performance, and the time the business loses when something stops working.

Can we migrate without losing the domain or email?

Yes. We prepare the new environment while the current website remains online, then move traffic only after testing.

Before the change, we check the domain, DNS, forms, redirects, analytics, and external services. We preserve the email records carefully, so the website can move without moving the company's mailboxes.

The domain registration does not always need to move immediately. It can stay with the current registrar and point to the new AWS website. We decide after checking access, renewal dates, and ownership.

Our cloud migration service includes preparation, testing, a controlled change, and a way back to the previous environment if a problem appears.

Is this a good fit for your business?

AWS is a strong fit for brochure sites, professional firms, associations, campaigns, and small portals. It can also support simple dynamic sites after we review the CMS, plugins, database, and update process.

A complex ecommerce site needs a more detailed design. The same applies to applications with specialist features or many integrations.

If the company does not have AWS skills internally, we can manage the environment. Our IT assessment identifies what should move, what should be fixed, and the likely cost before work begins.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the SSL certificate really free on AWS?

The non-exportable public certificate from AWS Certificate Manager has no additional charge when it is used with CloudFront. AWS infrastructure, the domain, migration, and management can still have costs.

Is renewal completely automatic?

Yes, while the certificate remains in use and the small DNS record AWS uses to verify the domain is not removed. We still monitor certificate status as part of managing the service.

Can we migrate a WordPress site?

Often, yes. WordPress needs a dynamic environment with a database, backups, updates, and specific caching rules. We review plugins, forms, and integrations before migration.

Will the website go offline during migration?

We build and test the new environment in parallel. The final change uses a controlled window and a rollback plan. The exact timing depends on the existing domain and website.

Avoid the next emergency

A certificate should not be an annual deadline that puts the website at risk. A well-designed AWS environment can automate renewal, improve performance, and manage the website as one service.

Computer On Site can assess the current website, move the full setup to AWS, and manage its performance and operation. Talk to us about your website.