{"id":68530,"date":"2022-11-11T07:44:30","date_gmt":"2022-11-11T07:44:30","guid":{"rendered":"\/tutorials\/?p=68530"},"modified":"2026-03-09T19:18:22","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T19:18:22","slug":"wordpress-comment-spam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/ng\/tutorials\/wordpress-comment-spam","title":{"rendered":"4 effective ways to stop WordPress comment spam (plugin, reCAPTCHA, and built-in features)"},"content":{"rendered":"

WordPress comment spam is a familiar problem website owners have to face. With spam comments spreading on your site, visitors may consider your website to be of poor quality, and search engines may mark your site as unsafe.<\/p>

Reducing these spam comments is vital to maintain your website’s reputation. This article will explore four practical ways to stop comment spam on your WordPress site.<\/p>

Download all-in-one WordPress cheat sheet<\/a><\/p>

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What Is WordPress Comment Spam?<\/h2>\n


\nComment spam is a comment left by spambots irrelevant to your content and aims to use your site as an advertisement for their website or acts as a form of a phishing attack. Comment spammers usually leave hyperlinks and make unsuspecting visitors click on them to increase their search engine rankings. <\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/p>

How to Prevent WordPress Comment Spam From the Admin Dashboard<\/h2>

Protecting your site from spam comments starts within the admin dashboard<\/a>. We’ll explore the options to manage your comment section using the built-in WordPress features.<\/p>

Allow Comments from Registered Users<\/h3>

One of the ways to combat spam comments on your posts is to create an additional obstacle for spammers. You can do this by only allowing registered users to comment.<\/p>

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  1. To do this, open the Settings <\/strong>menu on your Dashboard<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>
    \"Accessing<\/a><\/figure><\/div>
      \n
    1. Then, go to the Discussion <\/strong>page.<\/li>\n<\/ol>
      \"Accessing<\/a><\/figure>
        \n
      1. Under the Other comment settings <\/strong>section, check the Users must be registered and logged in to comment <\/strong>option. Save your changes.<\/li>\n<\/ol>
        \"Enabling<\/a><\/figure>

        Turn On Comment Moderation<\/h3>

        Managing your comments is a great way to protect your website from spam. You can moderate comments with the built-in feature in WordPress, as you will have complete control over comments posted on your site.<\/p>

        Enable comment moderation by going to Settings <\/strong>→ Discussion<\/strong> and scrolling down.<\/p>

        Here you can set WordPress to notify you via email whenever a new comment is present so you can check whether or not it’s a spam comment.<\/p>

        Another option is to approve each comment before it’s posted manually. Turn this on by checking the Comment must be manually approved <\/strong>option.<\/p>

        To allow previously approved users to post new comments without manual approval, tick the Comment author must have a previously approved comment<\/strong>.<\/p>

        \"Enabling<\/a><\/figure>

        Make a List of Blocklisted Words<\/h3>

        You may find spam comments on your site containing some specific keywords. You can automatically put these comments in the trash folder to save time.<\/p>

        You can list the blocklisted keywords, and comments containing those will be deleted automatically. Choose the words carefully so that you won’t accidentally delete comments from users with good intentions.<\/p>

        \"Using<\/a><\/figure>

        Under the WordPress Discussion <\/strong>menu, scroll down until you see the Disallowed Comment Keys <\/strong>option. Then, fill it with keywords you wish to block.<\/p>

        If you’re concerned with specific keywords but don’t want comments to be automatically deleted, you can set WordPress to flag you every time they’re posted instead.<\/p>

        \"Using<\/a><\/figure>

        When listing the keywords in the Comment Moderation <\/strong>section, comments containing those words will go to the comment moderation queue instead of the trash folder. You will be notified of potential spam messages and won’t lose authentic comments.<\/p>