{"id":1412,"date":"2022-03-11T10:16:43","date_gmt":"2022-03-11T15:16:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/?p=1412"},"modified":"2022-03-11T10:16:43","modified_gmt":"2022-03-11T15:16:43","slug":"how-to-stop-spam-comments-on-wordpress-7-best-methods-stop-spam-comments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/how-to-stop-spam-comments-on-wordpress-7-best-methods-stop-spam-comments\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Stop Spam Comments On WordPress? 7 Best Methods Stop Spam Comments"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>WordPress is the <strong>most lovable platform<\/strong> over the internet; you might be frustrated with the &#8220;<strong>Spam Comments.<\/strong>&#8221; In this article, I will discuss how to stop spam comments on WordPress. Alternatively, you can also <span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><strong><a style=\"color: #3366ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/how-to-disable-wordpress-comments\/\">completely disable WordPress comments<\/a><\/strong><\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>However, I recommend <strong>continuing this post<\/strong> instead of disabling comments because comments are the <strong>best way to get feedback<\/strong> from the users. Whether you have just started a new blog or have an old existing blog, spam comments dramatically <strong>hurt the reputation of a WordPress site<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>WordPress has <strong>some great plugins<\/strong> to stop spam comments by <strong>99+%<\/strong> in a few clicks. Let&#8217;s explore the best methods to stop WordPress spam comments.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_61 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/how-to-stop-spam-comments-on-wordpress-7-best-methods-stop-spam-comments\/#What_Are_Spam_Comments_and_Why_Stop_Them\" title=\"What Are Spam Comments and Why Stop Them?\">What Are Spam Comments and Why Stop Them?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/how-to-stop-spam-comments-on-wordpress-7-best-methods-stop-spam-comments\/#How_To_Stop_Spam_Comments_On_WordPress\" title=\"How To Stop Spam Comments On WordPress?\">How To Stop Spam Comments On WordPress?<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/how-to-stop-spam-comments-on-wordpress-7-best-methods-stop-spam-comments\/#1_Activate_Comment_Moderation_In_WordPress\" title=\"1. Activate Comment Moderation In WordPress\">1. Activate Comment Moderation In WordPress<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/how-to-stop-spam-comments-on-wordpress-7-best-methods-stop-spam-comments\/#2_Turn-Off_Anonymous_Comments\" title=\"2. Turn-Off Anonymous Comments\">2. Turn-Off Anonymous Comments<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/how-to-stop-spam-comments-on-wordpress-7-best-methods-stop-spam-comments\/#3_Reduce_The_Number_Of_Links_Allowed_Per_Post\" title=\"3. Reduce The Number Of Links Allowed Per Post\">3. Reduce The Number Of Links Allowed Per Post<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/how-to-stop-spam-comments-on-wordpress-7-best-methods-stop-spam-comments\/#4_Stop_Spam_Comments_By_%E2%80%9CBlacklisted%E2%80%9D_Words\" title=\"4. Stop Spam Comments By &#8220;Blacklisted&#8221; Words\">4. Stop Spam Comments By &#8220;Blacklisted&#8221; Words<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/how-to-stop-spam-comments-on-wordpress-7-best-methods-stop-spam-comments\/#5_Allow_Only_Registered_Users_To_Comment\" title=\"5. Allow Only Registered Users To Comment\">5. Allow Only Registered Users To Comment<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/how-to-stop-spam-comments-on-wordpress-7-best-methods-stop-spam-comments\/#6_Add_Google_reCAPTCHA_Verification_To_Stop_%E2%80%98Bot_Comments\" title=\"6. Add Google reCAPTCHA Verification To Stop &#8216;Bot&#8217; Comments\">6. Add Google reCAPTCHA Verification To Stop &#8216;Bot&#8217; Comments<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/how-to-stop-spam-comments-on-wordpress-7-best-methods-stop-spam-comments\/#7_Stop_Spam_Comments_On_WordPress_Using_Plugins\" title=\"7. Stop Spam Comments On WordPress Using Plugins\">7. Stop Spam Comments On WordPress Using Plugins<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/how-to-stop-spam-comments-on-wordpress-7-best-methods-stop-spam-comments\/#Alternative_Anti-Spam_Plugins\" title=\"Alternative Anti-Spam Plugins\">Alternative Anti-Spam Plugins<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/how-to-stop-spam-comments-on-wordpress-7-best-methods-stop-spam-comments\/#Final_Thoughts\" title=\"Final Thoughts\">Final Thoughts<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Are_Spam_Comments_and_Why_Stop_Them\"><\/span><strong>What Are Spam Comments and Why Stop Them?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1417 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/email-4009691_1280.webp\" alt=\"how to stop spam comments on WordPress\" width=\"1280\" height=\"853\" srcset=\"https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/email-4009691_1280.webp 1280w, https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/email-4009691_1280-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/email-4009691_1280-1024x682.webp 1024w, https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/email-4009691_1280-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/email-4009691_1280-20x13.webp 20w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>As I discussed above, comments are the <strong>big source of feedback\/queries<\/strong> from what you have shared on CMS. Besides\u00a0good comments, spammers bypass the absurd comments to scrape your position when your site starts growing.<\/p>\n<p>Other than this, spam comments also include <strong>&#8220;irrelevant and poorly written comments,&#8221;<\/strong> which are left over by the sites that <strong>want to take advantage<\/strong> of your site&#8217;s reputation. It&#8217;s done by amusing comments or by pasting the links <strong>irrelevant to your site<\/strong> and situating negative effects on visitors.<\/p>\n<p>Although spam comments are not an issue at the elementary stage of the site, while in the later phase, it<strong> becomes a more significant problem; if<\/strong> your comment box is filled with spam comments, it will not look suitable for <strong>healthy conversation<\/strong> among visitors. Also, learn <span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><strong><a style=\"color: #3366ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/what-is-a-pingback-in-wordpress\/\">how to disable WordPress Pingback<\/a><\/strong><\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>To keep your site away from <strong>these terrible situations<\/strong>, you need to prevent spam comments in WordPress. Let&#8217;s explore the best techniques of how to stop spam comments on WordPress?<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_To_Stop_Spam_Comments_On_WordPress\"><\/span><strong>How To Stop Spam Comments On WordPress?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Fortunately, WordPress offers tons of stunning methods to effectively dodge spam comments (or spammers). We will discuss the <strong>7 best methods<\/strong> of how to stop spam comments on WordPress, which include <strong>manual as well as automatic<\/strong>. You can implement any of the method(s) at your convenience.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Activate_Comment_Moderation_In_WordPress\"><\/span><strong>1. Activate Comment Moderation In WordPress<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>WordPress offers an <strong>in-built comment moderation feature<\/strong>, which means not even a single comment is published on your site without your approval. Although it won&#8217;t reduce the spam comments, it ensures that visitors only see <strong>high-quality approved comments.<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Head your WordPress dashboard and look for <strong>settings.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1419 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-125647.jpg\" alt=\"How To Stop Spam Comments On WordPress\" width=\"1360\" height=\"247\" srcset=\"https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-125647.jpg 1360w, https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-125647-300x54.jpg 300w, https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-125647-1024x186.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-125647-768x139.jpg 768w, https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-125647-20x4.jpg 20w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1360px) 100vw, 1360px\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Under settings, click on the <strong>discussion<\/strong> option; <strong>Settings &gt;&gt; Discussion.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Click on the checkbox in front of the &#8220;Comment must be manually approved.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>If you want to give automatic comment approval to a previously approved author, then click on the 2nd checkbox.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Now and onwards, you have an option to approve the comments manually; however, this method is somewhat time-consuming. So also look for <strong>other viable techniques<\/strong> below.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Turn-Off_Anonymous_Comments\"><\/span><strong>2. Turn-Off Anonymous Comments<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Most of the spam comments are done by &#8220;<strong>anonymous users,<\/strong>&#8221; so it is better to disable these comments. Turning it off, ask visitors the following information by default to ensure comments by legitimate users: <strong>Name, Email, Website, Comment.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1421 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-140936.jpg\" alt=\"turn off spam comments\" width=\"1591\" height=\"436\" srcset=\"https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-140936.jpg 1591w, https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-140936-300x82.jpg 300w, https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-140936-1024x281.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-140936-768x210.jpg 768w, https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-140936-1536x421.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-140936-20x5.jpg 20w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1591px) 100vw, 1591px\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Follow the above steps of 1st method and access discussion settings; <strong>Settings &gt;&gt; Discussion.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Look for <strong>other comment settings.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Tick the <strong>checkbox; the Comment<\/strong> author must fill out their name and email.<\/li>\n<li>It disables the bots to leave automated spammy comments. In this way, you can prevent malicious comments.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"reduce-links\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Reduce_The_Number_Of_Links_Allowed_Per_Post\"><\/span><strong>3. Reduce The Number Of Links Allowed Per Post<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Commonly seen that <strong>spammy comments<\/strong> in WordPress (or in other platforms) come with <strong>malicious links and crafty hyperlinks<\/strong>. When a user clicks on the link, it <strong>redirects to venomous sites<\/strong> and degrades the user experience.<\/p>\n<p>You can <strong>disallow these tricky links<\/strong> to your website, even can reduce them to this zero. Reduce the allowing link to zero level though not recommended, as it makes it compulsory for you to moderate each comment.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1423 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-143302.jpg\" alt=\"How to stop spam comments on wordpress\" width=\"1476\" height=\"159\" srcset=\"https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-143302.jpg 1476w, https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-143302-300x32.jpg 300w, https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-143302-1024x110.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-143302-768x83.jpg 768w, https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-143302-20x2.jpg 20w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1476px) 100vw, 1476px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>To constraint the number of links, you again head to the <strong>discussion<\/strong> section as I discussed in the above methods. Look for <strong>comment moderation<\/strong>. You can set the maximum number of links that can be <strong>included in a commen<\/strong>t before being labeled for approval.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_Stop_Spam_Comments_By_%E2%80%9CBlacklisted%E2%80%9D_Words\"><\/span><strong>4. Stop Spam Comments By &#8220;Blacklisted&#8221; Words<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Blacklisting specific words is an <strong>influential technique<\/strong> to stop spam comments on WordPress. Most of the spammy comments envisaged<strong> indistinguishable words,<\/strong> and you can blacklist those words. Whenever any comment holds these blacklisted words, the comment will be <strong>&#8216;on hold&#8217;<\/strong> for moderation and not published.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1424 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-145152.jpg\" alt=\"How To Stop Spam Comments On WordPress\" width=\"1612\" height=\"442\" srcset=\"https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-145152.jpg 1612w, https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-145152-300x82.jpg 300w, https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-145152-1024x281.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-145152-768x211.jpg 768w, https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-145152-1536x421.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-145152-20x5.jpg 20w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1612px) 100vw, 1612px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>To blacklist the specific words, go to the <strong>discussion<\/strong> settings of your WordPress dashboard. Look for <strong>&#8220;Disallowed Comment Keys&#8221;<\/strong> and enter the words that you find familiar on spammy comments, then save the changes.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_Allow_Only_Registered_Users_To_Comment\"><\/span><strong>5. Allow Only Registered Users To Comment<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Allowing only registered users barred a large <strong>number of comments<\/strong> on your site. It encourages new users to be a <strong>member or registered users<\/strong> of your site, but on the other side, it also restricts &#8216;<strong>genuine user<\/strong>&#8216; to comments, but it makes your comment section &#8216;<strong>Spam-free.<\/strong>&#8216;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1428 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-160107.jpg\" alt=\"How To Stop Spam Comments On WordPress\" width=\"1350\" height=\"292\" srcset=\"https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-160107.jpg 1350w, https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-160107-300x65.jpg 300w, https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-160107-1024x221.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-160107-768x166.jpg 768w, https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-160107-20x4.jpg 20w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1350px) 100vw, 1350px\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Follow the above steps of 1st method and access discussion settings; <strong>Settings &gt;&gt; Discussion.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Look for <strong>other comment settings.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Tick<\/strong> in the front of &#8216;Users must be registered and logged in to comment.&#8217;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"6_Add_Google_reCAPTCHA_Verification_To_Stop_%E2%80%98Bot_Comments\"><\/span><strong>6. Add Google reCAPTCHA Verification To Stop &#8216;Bot&#8217; Comments<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1426 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/survey-captcha-example.png\" alt=\"prevent spam comments\" width=\"567\" height=\"244\" srcset=\"https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/survey-captcha-example.png 567w, https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/survey-captcha-example-300x129.png 300w, https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/survey-captcha-example-20x9.png 20w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 567px) 100vw, 567px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Bot comments are <strong>automated comments<\/strong> which don&#8217;t require human instruction to perform any task, so also referred to as <strong>self-propagating malware<\/strong>. If you are uncertain that the comments are either <strong>bots or humans,<\/strong> you can run <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/recaptcha\/about\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reCAPTCHA verification<\/a> and restrict spam comments on WordPress.<\/p>\n<p>CAPTCHA is an abbreviation of &#8220;Completely Automated Public Turing Test to tell Computers and Humans Apart.&#8221; It has <strong>multiple tests<\/strong> like checkbox, fill texts, match images, etc., that are impassable for bots to pass.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1427 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-152226.jpg\" alt=\"Add recaptcha plugin\" width=\"889\" height=\"322\" srcset=\"https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-152226.jpg 889w, https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-152226-300x109.jpg 300w, https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-152226-768x278.jpg 768w, https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-152226-20x7.jpg 20w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 889px) 100vw, 889px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>You can easily install and activate <a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/recaptcha-for-asgaros-forum\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reCAPTCHA (2 &amp; 3)<\/a> from the plugin directory of your WordPress dashboard. After activation, go to settings, select <strong>&#8216;Comment Form,&#8217;<\/strong>\u00a0and fill in the required details. If you <strong>face any issues<\/strong> while adding the reCAPTCHA comment form to your site, let me know through comments.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"7_Stop_Spam_Comments_On_WordPress_Using_Plugins\"><\/span><strong>7. Stop Spam Comments On WordPress Using Plugins<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>We discussed how to stop spam comments on WordPress; let&#8217;s discuss the plugins. <strong>Anti-spam plugins<\/strong> are a powerful and most convenient way to prevent spam comments. Plugin constantly <strong>filters the comments<\/strong> by connecting with the large spam database and provides a clean interface to the users.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1429 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-162627.jpg\" alt=\"stop malicious comments\" width=\"1140\" height=\"364\" srcset=\"https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-162627.jpg 1140w, https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-162627-300x96.jpg 300w, https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-162627-1024x327.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-162627-768x245.jpg 768w, https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-162627-20x6.jpg 20w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1140px) 100vw, 1140px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>One such popular plugin is <span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><strong><a style=\"color: #3366ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/akismet\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Akismet Spam Protection<\/a>,<\/strong><\/span> which is installed in every WordPress account by Automattic. Due to default and free plugins, it has more than <strong>5 million subscribers with 4.4<\/strong> user ratings. You can review the comment spam it catches on your blog&#8217;s &#8220;Comments&#8221; admin screen.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1430 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-162945.jpg\" alt=\"comment moderation akismet\" width=\"1033\" height=\"598\" srcset=\"https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-162945.jpg 1033w, https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-162945-300x174.jpg 300w, https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-162945-1024x593.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-162945-768x445.jpg 768w, https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screenshot-2022-03-11-162945-20x12.jpg 20w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1033px) 100vw, 1033px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>You only <strong>activate the Akismet API key,<\/strong> and by performing simple settings, Akismet puts <strong>spam or malicious comments on hold<\/strong>. Setting includes auto discarding most harmful comments, <strong>hold for moderation, privacy notice, etc<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>THE Akismet API key will be sent to your email when you register by providing registration credentials. Also, if you feel any comment should be included on the site, you can give it approval.<\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Alternative_Anti-Spam_Plugins\"><\/span><strong>Alternative Anti-Spam Plugins<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Although Akismet is a highly advanced <strong>Anti-spam plugin<\/strong>, it is not the only one. WordPress has a lot of other plugins that disable spammy comments on WordPress. Top 7 Akismet alternatives:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/zero-spam\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Zero Spam.<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/antispam-bee\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Anti-Spam Bee.<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/bulletproof-security\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">BulletProof Security.<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/blackhole-bad-bots\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Blackhole for Bad Bots.<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/anti-spam\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Titan Anti-spam &amp; Security.<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/stop-spammer-registrations-plugin\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Stop Spammers.<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/honeypot\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WP Armour.<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Final_Thoughts\"><\/span><strong>Final Thoughts<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>It is all about <strong>how to stop spam comments on WordPress<\/strong> manually as well as automatically. Comments are the inevitable part of any WordPress site to <strong>engage with visitors<\/strong> and to maintain a meaningful conversation. But the <strong>spammers and spam comments<\/strong> turn it into a <strong>&#8216;meaning-less&#8217;<\/strong> conversation.<\/p>\n<p>To revert back to this situation and <strong>protect a site from malicious comments<\/strong>, today, we discussed how to stop spam comments on WordPress. We discussed the <strong>7 best methods<\/strong> to prevent spam comments on WordPress along with the top 7 plugins. I hope you like this post, and you are able to restrict spammers on your site.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WordPress is the most lovable platform over the internet; you might be frustrated with the &#8220;Spam Comments.&#8221; In this article, I will discuss how to stop spam comments on WordPress. Alternatively, you can also completely disable WordPress comments. However, I recommend continuing this post instead of disabling comments because comments are the best way to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1434,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[362],"tags":[1833,1832,1838,1815,1830,1831,1821,1813,1820,1818,1834,1823,1829,1828,1837,1817,1825,1824,1822,1836,1819,1814,1816,1835,1827,1826],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1412"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1412"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1412\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1435,"href":"https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1412\/revisions\/1435"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1434"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/basicwebguide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}