The complete guide to Cloudflare: Setup, benefits, and WordPress integration with LiteSpeed

by | Jul 22, 2025 | Cloudflare Setup, cloudflare partner, Hosting Marketers News | 0 comments

Blog cover image with the title ‘The complete guide to Cloudflare: Setup, benefits, and WordPress integration with LiteSpeed’ on a purple background, with icons representing Cloudflare, a computer server, WordPress, and LiteSpeed below the text.

Introduction

Cloudflare is more than just a DNS or CDN — it’s a powerful, all-in-one solution for website performance, security, and compatibility. Whether you’re running a personal blog or managing multiple client sites, integrating Cloudflare with WordPress and LiteSpeed can significantly boost load times, protect your infrastructure, and even fix certain SSL issues caused by antivirus software.

This long-form guide will walk you through everything: the advantages and disadvantages of using Cloudflare, common issues it can help solve, and a detailed setup process — especially for those running LiteSpeed and the LiteSpeed Cache plugin in WordPress.

Part 1: Benefits of Using Cloudflare

1. Speed and Performance

  • Global CDN: Cloudflare caches your content across 200+ data centers.
  • Faster DNS resolution: Their Anycast DNS system is among the fastest in the world.
  • Automatic file compression and image optimization.
  • Brotli compression and HTTP/3 support.

2. Security and Protection

  • Free SSL (via Universal SSL) with options for Full or Full (Strict) encryption.
  • DDoS mitigation at network edge.
  • Web Application Firewall (WAF) on paid plans.
  • Hide origin IP to prevent direct server attacks.

3. Compatibility and Access

  • Solves SSL compatibility issues caused by some antivirus software (e.g., Avast, Kaspersky).
  • Works well behind corporate firewalls and proxies.
  • Helps prevent “connection reset” or “certificate failed” errors on end-user devices.

4. Cost-Effectiveness

  • Generous free plan.
  • Paid plans scale well for enterprise or high-traffic environments.

Part 2: Disadvantages of Using Cloudflare

1. Propagation Delay

2. Learning Curve

  • The dashboard is feature-rich but can be confusing for beginners.
  • Requires care with DNS and cache settings.

3. Potential Conflicts

  • Misconfiguration can cause redirect loops or cache issues.
  • Some plugin conflicts if not set up properly with WordPress and LiteSpeed Cache.

4. Origin IP Visibility

  • With Cloudflare in front, some server-level tools (like fail2ban) won’t see the true visitor IP unless configured with mod_remoteip or similar.

Part 3: Common Issues Solved by Cloudflare

Antivirus interference with SSL

Some antivirus software (especially Avast and Kaspersky) includes a feature called HTTPS scanning or Web Shield. These interfere with how a browser verifies SSL certificates. Even with a valid SSL installed, users may see errors like:

  • “Connection reset”
  • “SSL certificate verification failed”
  • “This site can’t be reached”

Cloudflare fixes this by acting as an intermediary using its own trusted SSL certificates, improving compatibility and eliminating these false errors.

Part 4: Step-by-Step — Setting Up Cloudflare for Your Website

Step 1: Create a Cloudflare Account

Step 2: Scan and Confirm DNS Records

  • Cloudflare will automatically import your existing DNS settings.
  • Review carefully and ensure all essential records are included (A, CNAME, MX, etc.)

Step 3: Enable Proxy (Orange Cloud)

  • For each A or CNAME record, toggle the cloud icon to orange (“Proxied”)

Step 4: Set SSL to Full (Strict)

  • Go to SSL/TLS > Overview > Select “Full (Strict)”

Step 5: Update Nameservers at Registrar

  • Cloudflare will provide you with two nameservers.
  • Log in to your domain registrar and replace the existing nameservers.
  • Save and wait for DNS propagation (1–24 hours).

Part 5: WordPress + LiteSpeed Cache Integration

Step 1: Install LiteSpeed Cache Plugin

  • Go to WordPress Dashboard > Plugins > Add New
  • Search for “LiteSpeed Cache” and install it

Step 2: Enable Cloudflare in LiteSpeed Cache

  • Go to LiteSpeed Cache > CDN
  • Enable the Cloudflare API option
  • Create an API Token in Cloudflare:
    • Go to My Profile > API Tokens
    • Click Create Token
    • Use the Edit zone DNS template, or manually assign these permissions:
      • Zone.Zone – Read
      • Zone.DNS – Edit
      • Zone.Cache Purge – Edit
  • Limit it to the specific zone (domain) for added security
  • Click Continue to summary and Create Token
  • Copy and paste the token into the LiteSpeed Cache > CDN settings

Step 3: Configure Optimization

  • Enable “Auto Purge” options under LiteSpeed Cache > Cache
  • Turn on image optimization, CSS/JS minification, and defer options under the Optimization tab

Step 4: Test Site Functionality

Part 6: Special Cases – Multiple WordPress Installs on the Same Domain

If your domain hosts more than one WordPress installation — for example, a main site at example.com and a blog at example.com/news — you should only configure one of the WordPress instances to actively communicate with Cloudflare via the LiteSpeed Cache plugin.

Best practice:

  • Configure Cloudflare API only on the main site
  • On the secondary WordPress site (e.g., /news), go to LiteSpeed Cache > CDN and disable Cloudflare integration
  • Cloudflare will still cache and protect both, because it operates at the domain level

This avoids API token conflicts and redundant cache purging between installations.

Part 7: Cleaning Up DNS Records After Auto-Scan

After you add your domain to Cloudflare, it will scan and import DNS records automatically. However, some of the records may be incorrectly set to “Proxied.” Here’s how to review and adjust them:

What to Proxy (Orange Cloud):

  • Your main domain (A record for @)
  • www subdomain (CNAME or A)
  • Any subdomain that serves web content over HTTP/HTTPS

What NOT to Proxy (Set to DNS Only):

  • mail (for email delivery)
  • ftp (for FTP access)
  • cpanel, webmail, autoconfig, autodiscover
  • All MX, NS, SRV, and TXT records

Cloudflare does not support proxying non-HTTP services (like SMTP, IMAP, POP, FTP). Proxying these can result in failed connections or blocked services.

How to Adjust:

  1. Go to the Cloudflare dashboard > DNS.
  2. Click the orange cloud next to any record that should not be proxied. It will turn grey.
  3. Leave informational records (MX, NS, etc.) as they are — these should remain DNS-only.

Taking 2 minutes to clean up your DNS settings after the auto-import ensures your email, FTP, and control panels will continue working smoothly.

Part 8: Troubleshooting SSL Certificate Warnings

Sometimes after proxying your main domain or www, Cloudflare may display a warning that says:

“This hostname is not covered by a certificate.”

This simply means Cloudflare hasn’t yet issued a Universal SSL certificate for your domain.

What to Do:

  1. Go to SSL/TLS > Edge Certificates
  2. Scroll down to Universal SSL and make sure it is Enabled
  3. Wait — it may take up to 24 hours for Cloudflare to issue and apply the certificate

Optional: Temporary Redirect

If your root domain (example.com) is not yet secured, but www.example.com is:

  • You can set up a temporary redirect from the root to www using a Page Rule or .htaccess redirect

Checking your SSL status at https://www.sslshopper.com/ssl-checker.html can also help confirm when the certificate becomes active.

Part 9: SEO Considerations — Can Cloudflare Hurt Rankings?

Cloudflare is generally beneficial for SEO, but only if configured correctly.

? SEO Benefits:

  • Faster load times improve Google PageSpeed score
  • HTTPS via Universal SSL adds ranking trust
  • Global CDN improves performance for international audiences
  • Better uptime and resilience protect against SEO penalties from downtime

?? Potential SEO Risks (If Misconfigured):

  • Over-aggressive caching may serve stale content to Googlebot
  • Bot Fight Mode or Firewall may block search engine crawlers
  • Incorrect SSL settings can cause redirect loops or blocked access
  • Canonical tags might get cached incorrectly if caching is too aggressive

Best Practices:

  • Set SSL to Full (Strict)
  • Avoid “Cache Everything” unless you configure bypass rules properly
  • Whitelist known crawlers like Googlebot in the Firewall
  • Regularly check robots.txt, search console, and cache behavior to ensure indexability

When properly configured, Cloudflare enhances SEO by improving speed, security, and user trust.

Final Notes

Cloudflare is a powerful tool — not just for speed, but for reliability and access. When properly integrated with WordPress and LiteSpeed, it can drastically improve your site’s performance and help resolve compatibility problems that even experienced developers sometimes overlook.

Whether you manage one website or hundreds, knowing how to configure and optimize Cloudflare gives you a serious edge.

Stay tuned for future tutorials on how to use Cloudflare rules, workers, and advanced caching features to go even further.

Hosting Marketers – Your Partner in Professional Streaming and Web Hosting.

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