How to Deal with Spam Comments on Your WordPress Site

Spam comments are a persistent nuisance on WordPress sites. They clutter your comment sections with irrelevant, malicious content, damaging your site’s credibility and potentially lowering its SEO ranking.

Frustrated by the constant flow of spam, you might find it hard to focus on engaging with genuine visitors. Worse, the credibility of your site is at stake, as too much spam can drive users away and give the impression of neglect.

The good news is that by using the right tools and settings—like spam filters, moderation options, and automated security measures—you can easily keep your site free from spam. In this guide, we’ll show you how to implement these solutions and maintain a clean, professional WordPress site.

So, without further ado, let’s dig deeper.

How to Deal with Spam Comments on Your WordPress Site

Dealing with spam comments on a WordPress site involves a combination of preventive measures, tools, and manual moderation. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you manage spam effectively:

1. Enable Akismet anti-spam plugin

• Install Akismet: Go to Plugins > Add New, search for Akismet Anti-Spam, and install it.
• Activate Akismet: After installation, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and activate Akismet.
• Configure Akismet: You’ll need an API key, which you can obtain by signing up on the Akismet website. Enter this key in Settings > Akismet Anti-Spam.

Akismet is highly effective at filtering out spam comments automatically.

2. Use a CAPTCHA or reCAPTCHA

• Install a CAPTCHA Plugin: Search for a CAPTCHA plugin like Google Captcha (reCAPTCHA) or WPBruiser in the Plugins directory.
• Configure the Plugin: Follow the setup instructions to add CAPTCHA to your comment forms, which helps deter automated spam bots.

3. Moderate comments manually

• Enable Comment Moderation: Go to Settings > Discussion and check the box for Comment must be manually approved. This will require you to approve each comment before it appears on your site.
• Use Blacklist: You can add specific keywords, IP addresses, or email addresses to the Comment Blacklist in Settings > Discussion. Comments containing these terms will be automatically marked as spam.

4. Implement comment filtering rules

• Use Plugins for Enhanced Filtering: Plugins like Wordfence or Antispam Bee provide additional filtering options.
• Set Comment Limits: Configure plugins to limit the number of links or the frequency of comments from the same user.

5. Regularly check and clean the spam folder

• Review the Spam Folder: Go to Comments > Spam to review comments flagged by Akismet or other spam filters.
• Permanently Delete Spam: Periodically clear out the spam folder to prevent your database from getting cluttered.

6. Update your WordPress and plugins

• Keep Everything Updated: Ensure that your WordPress installation, themes, and plugins are always up-to-date. Updates often include security patches and improvements that can help with spam prevention.

7. Use a comment moderation queue

• Set Up a Moderation Queue: In Settings > Discussion, you can configure the comment moderation queue to hold comments for review if they contain specific terms or links.

8. Disable comments on certain pages

• Turn Off Comments Where Not Needed: If comments are unnecessary on certain pages or posts, disable them to reduce spam opportunities. You can do this in the Discussion settings or on individual posts/pages.

9. Use a comment blacklist

• Add Keywords and IP Addresses: In Settings > Discussion, you can add keywords or IP addresses to the comment blacklist to automatically block spammy comments.

How can I identify spam comments quickly?

To quickly identify spam comments on your website, consider the following key indicators:

i. Irrelevant content

Spam comments often do not relate to the topic of your post. For example, a comment on a health blog about “cheap sunglasses” is likely spam.

ii. Fake or suspicious names

Check the commenter’s name. If it appears to be a keyword or promotional phrase (e.g., “best vacation deals”), it is likely spam. Legitimate commenters usually use real names.

iii. Untrustworthy email addresses

If the commenter’s email does not match their name or appears suspicious (e.g., containing random characters), it may indicate spam. For instance, if “John Doe” comments but uses an email like “buycheapstuff@example.com,” it’s a red flag.

iv. Generic comments

Spam comments often lack specificity and can apply to any post. If you find a comment that could fit multiple articles without context, it’s likely spam.

v. Poor grammar and spelling

Many spam comments are poorly written, containing numerous grammatical errors. This is often a tactic used to bypass filters.

vi. Suspicious links

Comments that include links to unrelated or dubious websites are often spam. If the link seems irrelevant or leads to a site that looks untrustworthy, it’s best to mark it as spam.

vii. Repetitive patterns

If a single commenter uses multiple email addresses or websites while posting similar comments, this indicates spam behavior. This is common among SEO spammers trying to generate backlinks.

How do spammers leave comments without visiting the page?

Here are a few ways spammers can leave comments on WordPress sites without actually visiting the pages.

1. Automated bots and scripts

Spammers use programs that can quickly post comments on many sites. These bots look for websites with open comment sections and post spam comments with links to their own sites or products.

2. Exploiting vulnerabilities

If a WordPress site isn’t kept up-to-date or has security vulnerabilities, spammers can take advantage of these issues to gain unauthorized access to the site and add spam comments.

3. Directly targeting the comment form

Spammers can directly interact with the WordPress comment form, either manually or using automated tools, to submit spam comments without actually visiting the page. They do this by sending malformed requests directly to the wp-comments-post.php file

4. Purchased spam services

Some services will post spam comments on websites for a fee, letting spammers pay someone else to spam WordPress sites for them. To prevent this, WordPress site owners can.

• Enable comment moderation to manually approve comments
• Disable comments entirely if not needed
• Limit or ban links in comments
• Require users to be registered and logged in to comment
• Use a web application firewall like Cloudflare to block malicious requests
• Install an anti-spam plugin like Akismet

Conclusion

To effectively deal with spam comments on your WordPress site, implement a combination of automated tools and manual moderation. Start by installing and configuring the Akismet Anti-Spam plugin to automatically filter out most spam. Complement this with CAPTCHA or reCAPTCHA to thwart bots.

Regularly review and clear the spam folder, and consider enabling comment moderation and using a comment blacklist to catch any remaining spam. Keep your WordPress installation and plugins updated to benefit from the latest security enhancements. By combining these strategies, you can maintain a clean and engaging comment section on your site.