Is your WordPress blog comment spam getting out of control?
We all want legitimate comments from people interested in our articles which is why it’s extremely frustrating to get so much comment spam from automated bots and backlink builders.
Here is an example of a typical spam comment. This is one I see quite often…
[Title of Article] I was suggested this web site by my cousin. I am not sure whether this post is written by him as nobody else know such detailed about my problem. You’re wonderful! Thanks! your article about [Title of Article] Best Regards.
You must find a balance between allowing real people to comment easily and blocking comment spam.
Here are 3 easy steps to reduce comment spam in WordPress…
1. Change Moderation Settings
Inside your WordPress Dashboard, go to Settings > Discussion.
Check “Comment author must have a previously approved comment”. Puts all new user’s first time comments in the moderation queue. After they have had an approved comment, they can comment freely.
Change the value after “Hold a comment in the queue if it contains” from 2 to 1. This will put any comment with 1 or more hyperlinks in the moderation queue.
2. Block Spam Bots
Add the follow code to your .htaccess file in your WordPress directory to block the automated spam bots. This alone will block an enormous amount of comment spam. Make sure to change “yourwebsite.com” to your actual domain.
# BEGIN BLOCK SPAM BOTS #
<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>
# END BLOCK SPAM BOTS #
3. Install Spam Free WordPress Plugin
Install the Spam Free WordPress plugin to block a large amount of comment spam automatically by requiring users to copy and paste a provided password. It’s an extra step for your users that are not logged in but it’s easy and dramatically reduces the amount of comment spam you receive.
I am a freelance web designer / developer in Tustin, CA with 14 years of experience. I specialize in building and supporting WordPress based websites. I really enjoy helping others by blogging about WordPress and SEO tips [Read More …]
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How to Prevent Comment Spam in WordPress
Is your WordPress blog comment spam getting out of control?
We all want legitimate comments from people interested in our articles which is why it’s extremely frustrating to get so much comment spam from automated bots and backlink builders.
Here is an example of a typical spam comment. This is one I see quite often…
You must find a balance between allowing real people to comment easily and blocking comment spam.
Here are 3 easy steps to reduce comment spam in WordPress…
1. Change Moderation Settings
Inside your WordPress Dashboard, go to Settings > Discussion.
2. Block Spam Bots
Add the follow code to your .htaccess file in your WordPress directory to block the automated spam bots. This alone will block an enormous amount of comment spam. Make sure to change “yourwebsite.com” to your actual domain.
# BEGIN BLOCK SPAM BOTS # <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> # END BLOCK SPAM BOTS #3. Install Spam Free WordPress Plugin
Install the Spam Free WordPress plugin to block a large amount of comment spam automatically by requiring users to copy and paste a provided password. It’s an extra step for your users that are not logged in but it’s easy and dramatically reduces the amount of comment spam you receive.
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About the Author: Ryan Townley
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