Spam comments, hate speech, and insults on a WordPress blog can become incredibly annoying. This guide will teach you how to organize, moderate, and block WordPress spam comments on your blog entries without using any plugins.
While an anti-spam plugin makes sense, WordPress already has several excellent DIY solutions for dealing with spam and unwanted comments. By entering the relevant terms in the word lists for comment moderation and comment blocks, you can effectively manage spam comments.
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Contents
ToggleModerate Comments by Default?
One of the most important decisions you’ll have to make is whether or not you want new comments to be posted straight and unchecked publicly. In principle, there is nothing wrong with that, and in most circumstances, it makes sense not to edit comments before they are published. However, it would be beneficial if you monitored it, examined the content frequently, and took action in cases of spam and, in particular, unlawful content.
It’s ideal to receive e-mail notifications of new comments and those that need approval. WordPress offers the corresponding options under Settings > Discussion: Admin notification of new comments.
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Comment Moderation Settings
You’ve probably heard the advice to filter comments and not let any go online unchecked. As a result, improper comments will not be seen at all. However, because of the unavoidable time delay, comment moderation slows down the pace of debates, which often rushes, especially with sensitive topics. The comment moderation settings in WordPress can be found under Settings > Discussion > Before a comment appears.
The second option is a compromise, particularly for private blogs where you may even know the discussion participants personally: The author must have already written an approved comment before a comment appears. Once a user is labeled as serious, the respective user can comment unmoderated, which is undoubtedly beneficial to the flow of the discussion.
Notify Users of New Comments
If your blog’s comments are set to “moderated,” we recommend an email plugin that allows users to receive e-mail notifications when their comments are replied to. This is also a valuable feature for your readers. They won’t have to continually check to see whether there are any new comments to actively participate in a discussion.
However, you cannot use every plugin that promises this function because data protection laws require a double opt-in approach before your blog automatically sends out e-mails to users. This implies that your WordPress site can only send new comment notifications after confirming that the e-mail address belongs to the person who entered it.
The Subscribe to “Double-Opt-in” Comments plugin does exactly that: If a user clicks on the Notify me about subsequent comments by email under their comment, the plugin sends a confirmation e-mail to the specified e-mail address. The notification function only becomes active after the user has clicked on the confirmation link contained – i.e., is the authorized recipient of the e-mail.
Moderate Links in Comments
When appropriately used, the WordPress comment moderation options section may be a powerful weapon against hate speech and spam. The first option concerns links contained in a comment. It’s a good idea to automatically mark all comments with a link to “moderated.” Because that is very often spam.
Pay attention to the commenter’s URL in the website form field even with seemingly harmless, praising comments. Completely trivial remarks of this type are very typical: “Oh, good to know that you can also arrange parking spaces. We have to try that right away.” If the user specifies a parking lot portal as the website, the comment is spam. If the comment does not contain helpful or interesting information or opinions, delete the comment and add the URL to your comment blacklist to prevent repetition.
Moderation of Specific Content in the Comment
You have to get a little creative with the moderation and blocking lists. Here you enter individual words, URLs, or e-mail addresses that lead to an automatic blocking of the comment or only go online after a manual check, i.e., after moderation by you. Whether you enter the respective words in the moderation or blocking list depends on how likely it is that the comment is unwanted if one of the question words occurs in it. In either case, the comment in question is not published directly.
Depending on the topic of your blog and the tone you want for the comments, over time, you will find out which terms regularly only appear in spam and unwanted comments but not in regular ones. You put these words on the moderation list. If you find out that no frequent comments accidentally end up in the moderation loop, you can tighten the measure and transfer words to the blacklist. Comments containing words from the blocked list end up directly in spam, so you no longer have to moderate them manually or move them there.
Because comment spam changes over time, you’ll be updating the lists regularly, adding terms that have recently appeared in WordPress spam comments.
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Disable Comments on Individual Posts
It often happens that only a few of your posts regularly receive spam comments. The spammers try to get SEO-effective links that come from posts that are thematically related to their topic. Such spam comments often also appear in relatively old posts. In such cases, WordPress offers the option of deactivating comments for individual posts. To do this, uncheck Allow comments in the Post > Discussion tab in the editor when editing the relevant post.
Disabling comments for individual posts is also a tried and tested way to end discussions that are becoming overly heated and hateful.
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Enable Akismet for Basic Protection
While this guide focuses on non-plugin methods, it’s worth mentioning Akismet, a plugin that comes pre-installed with WordPress. Activating Akismet provides basic spam protection and can work alongside your manual efforts. To enable Akismet, navigate to Plugins> Installed Plugins, find Akismet, and activate it. You’ll need an API key, which can be obtained for free from the Akismet website.
Utilizing the Comment Blacklist
WordPress allows you to create a blacklist of words, URLs, email addresses, and IP addresses to automatically mark comments as spam. This feature is found under Settings > Discussion > Comment Blacklist. By adding commonly used spam words and known spam IP addresses, you can reduce the number of unwanted comments. Regularly update this list as you identify new spam patterns.
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Customizing Comment Form
Customizing your comment form can also help reduce spam. By adding a custom question or CAPTCHA, you can deter automated spam bots. This can be done without a plugin by adding a simple code snippet to your theme’s functions.php file or by using custom code in your child theme.
Example:
function custom_comment_form_fields($fields) {
$fields[‘custom_question’] = ‘<p class=”comment-form-custom-question”><label for=”custom_question”>’ . __(‘What is 2 + 2?’) . ‘</label><input id=”custom_question” name=”custom_question” type=”text” required></p>’;
return $fields;
}
add_filter(‘comment_form_default_fields’, ‘custom_comment_form_fields’);
function verify_custom_question($commentdata) {
if (!is_user_logged_in() && $_POST[‘custom_question’] !== ‘4’) {
wp_die(‘Error: Incorrect answer to custom question.’);
}
return $commentdata;
}
add_filter(‘preprocess_comment’, ‘verify_custom_question’);
Managing Trackbacks and Pingbacks
Trackbacks and pingbacks are another source of spam. These are notifications that another blog has linked to your post. While they can be useful, they are often exploited by spammers. You can disable them under Settings > Discussion by unchecking Allow link notifications from other blogs (pingbacks and trackbacks) on new articles.
Utilizing .htaccess for Spam Prevention
Advanced users can use .htaccess rules to block spammy IP addresses or referrers directly at the server level. This method is powerful but requires some technical knowledge.
Example:
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_METHOD} POST
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} .wp-comments-post\.php*
RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} !.*yourwebsite.com.* [OR]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_USER_AGENT} ^$
RewriteRule (.*) ^http://%{REMOTE_ADDR}/$ [R=301,L]
</IfModule>
This code blocks POST requests to wp-comments-post.php if they don’t come from your website, a common tactic used by spammers.
Leveraging Third-Party Services
In addition to manual methods, you can use third-party services to help combat spam. Services like Cloudflare provide additional security features, including spam and bot protection, which can complement your efforts.
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Encouraging Positive Engagement
One of the best ways to combat spam is to encourage positive engagement from real users. Respond to comments promptly, foster a community of respectful discussion, and make it clear that spam and abuse will not be tolerated. A vibrant, active community is often self-policing, reducing the burden on you.
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Regularly Reviewing Comment Policies
Finally, regularly review your comment policies and adjust them as needed. Make sure your community knows the rules and the consequences of breaking them. Clear, fair policies can help prevent spam and abuse before they start.
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Using Google reCAPTCHA to Tackle WordPress Spam Comments
Google reCAPTCHA is a powerful tool designed to protect WordPress sites from spam comments and brute force login attacks by using CAPTCHA technology. This technology employs various methods, such as simple puzzles or automatic background checks, to filter out automated traffic from human visitors. Implementing reCAPTCHA can lead to a considerable improvement in your site’s security and user experience.
Spam comments and spam submissions are not just annoying; they can contain harmful links and unwanted information that negatively impact your site’s Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and credibility. These comments often aim to increase the spammer’s backlinks and PageRank, which can be detrimental to your site’s reputation. Google reCAPTCHA excels at blocking these automated spam bots, thus guaranteeing that only genuine users interact with your site.
Google’s reCAPTCHA service offers different versions, such as reCAPTCHA v2 and v3, each tailored to specific use cases. While reCAPTCHA v2 typically uses a google recaptcha checkbox or image-based challenges, reCAPTCHA v3 operates silently in the background, providing a seamless user experience without interrupting site visitors. This flexibility allows you to choose the best version based on your site’s needs and user base.’
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Setting Up Google reCAPTCHA on Your WordPress Site
While setting up Google reCAPTCHA on your WordPress site may initially appear daunting, breaking it down into manageable steps simplifies the process. This section will guide you through the essentials:
- Installing a Google reCAPTCHA plugin
- Configuring the necessary settings
- Adding reCAPTCHA to key areas of your site to ensure maximum protection against spam and bots.
Installing a Google reCAPTCHA Plugin
The first stride towards integrating Google reCAPTCHA involves installing the appropriate captcha recaptcha plugin. Using a CAPTCHA plugin allows you to easily add reCAPTCHA to your WordPress site without requiring any coding knowledge.
Here are the steps to install the plugin:
- Log into your WordPress dashboard
- Navigate to the ‘Plugins’ section
- Click on ‘Add New’
- Search for ‘Google reCAPTCHA’
- Install and activate the plugin
Among the search results, you’ll find several options, but one of the most recommended is the ‘Google Captcha (reCAPTCHA) by BestWebSoft’ plugin. Click ‘Install Now’ and then ‘Activate’ to get the plugin up and running on your site.
Once activated, this plugin will integrate seamlessly with your WordPress site, allowing you to configure the settings and add reCAPTCHA to various forms and areas without any hassle. This sets the stage for the next crucial step: configuring the plugin settings and obtaining API keys.
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Configuring Google reCAPTCHA Settings
Configuring Google reCAPTCHA requires obtaining google recaptcha api keys from the Google reCAPTCHA service. Start by logging into the Google admin console with your Google account. Here, you will register your domain and receive the necessary Site Key and Secret Key. These keys authenticate your site and enable reCAPTCHA functionality.
To register your site for reCAPTCHA, follow these steps:
- Enter a label for your site.
- Choose the reCAPTCHA type (v2 or v3).
- Add your domain name.
- Complete the registration by selecting owner emails.
- Accept the reCAPTCHA terms.
- Click submit to obtain your API keys.
Once you have your Site Key and Secret Key, navigate back to your WordPress dashboard and enter these keys into the plugin’s settings page. Within the plugin settings, you can choose which areas of your site will have reCAPTCHA enabled, such as login forms, registration forms, and comment forms.
Ensure that you save the changes after entering the keys to activate reCAPTCHA across your site. This configuration helps tailor the spam protection to your specific needs.
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Adding Google reCAPTCHA to Key Areas
To maximize the effectiveness of Google reCAPTCHA, it’s important to add it to key areas of your WordPress site. Start with the WordPress comment form, as these are prime targets for spam bots. By requiring users to solve a small challenge before posting a comment, you can practically eliminate spam comments. Access the plugin settings, paste the Site Key and Secret Key, and enable the corresponding checkbox for the comment forms.
For login forms, adding reCAPTCHA is crucial to protect against brute force attacks and Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks. Ensure that reCAPTCHA is enabled on your login pages and contact form to add an extra layer of security. This will require users to verify they are human before gaining access, significantly reducing the risk of unauthorized logins.
Wrap Up
By using these strategies, you can effectively manage and reduce WordPress spam comments without relying heavily on plugins. Stay proactive, keep your community engaged, and regularly update your methods to keep your blog’s comment section healthy and spam-free.
If you have any questions or need further assistance with managing comments on your WordPress blog, feel free to reach out! We’re here to help.