How To Fix Spam Comments On WordPress: A Complete Guide

Spam comments are one of the most common problems WordPress site owners face. They not only clutter your comment sections but can also harm your website’s credibility, slow down performance, and even impact SEO if left unchecked. Fortunately, WordPress offers several effective solutions to fix this issue. This guide will walk you through how you can fix spam comments on WordPress.

Why Spam Comments Are A Problem

Before diving into solutions, it’s important to understand why spam comments are more than just an annoyance:

• Damage to credibility: A flood of irrelevant or malicious comments can make your site look untrustworthy.
• SEO risks: Spam often contains links to questionable websites, which can hurt your search rankings if search engines associate your site with them.
• Performance issues: Thousands of spam comments build up in your database, slowing down your site.
• Time drain: Manually moderating spam takes valuable time that could be spent improving your website.

Step 1: Adjust WordPress Discussion Settings

WordPress includes built-in settings to filter out spam comments before they appear. To access them, go to Settings > Discussion in your dashboard. Key options include:

• Manually approve comments: Enable “Comment must be manually approved” to ensure nothing gets published without your review.
• Comment author must have a previously approved comment: This allows trusted commenters to bypass moderation after their first approved comment.
• Hold comments with links: Since spam often contains multiple links, you can set WordPress to hold comments with more than one link for moderation automatically.

These settings won’t block all spam but provide a first layer of defense.

Step 2: Use Anti-Spam Plugins

WordPress plugins are the most efficient way to combat spam. Some of the best options include:

1. Akismet Anti-Spam

• Pre-installed with WordPress and one of the most popular anti-spam plugins.
• Automatically filters out spam comments and moves them to a spam folder.
• Learns from community data to improve spam detection.

2. Antispam Bee

• A free alternative to Akismet, popular in Europe due to GDPR compliance.
• Offers customizable filters, such as blocking comments from specific countries or languages.

3. WP Armour

• Uses JavaScript-based honeypots to trap bots before they can submit spam.
• Lightweight and requires no manual moderation for most spam.

4. CleanTalk Anti-Spam

• A premium plugin with cloud-based filtering.
• Blocks spam in comments, contact forms, registrations, and even WooCommerce reviews.

Installing one of these plugins drastically reduces spam without adding extra work for you.

Step 3: Add CAPTCHA Or reCAPTCHA

Adding a CAPTCHA or reCAPTCHA challenge makes it harder for automated bots to leave comments. Popular options include:

• Google reCAPTCHA v2 or v3: Requires users to check a box or is invisible in the background.
• hCaptcha: A privacy-friendly alternative to Google reCAPTCHA.

Step 4: Disable Comments On Specific Posts Or Entire Site

If your website doesn’t rely on comments for engagement, disabling them may be the simplest solution.

• Disable per post/page: While editing a post, scroll down to the Discussion settings and uncheck “Allow comments.”
• Disable site-wide: Go to Settings > Discussion and uncheck “Allow people to submit comments on new posts.”
• Use a plugin: Plugins like Disable Comments give you more control and allow you to remove existing comment forms across the entire site.

This is particularly useful for business websites, portfolios, or e-commerce stores where comments don’t add value.

Step 5: Use Blacklists & Whitelists

WordPress allows you to block spam comments based on keywords, email addresses, or IP addresses.

• Comment Blacklist: Under Settings > Discussion, you can add common spam words, URLs, or email domains. Any comment containing these will be held or trashed.
• Whitelist: Trusted commenters can be added to a whitelist so their comments are automatically approved.

This method is especially helpful if you notice repeated spam coming from specific sources.

Step 6: Regularly Clean Your Comment Database

Even with prevention measures, some spam may slip through. Over time, this can bloat your database. Use plugins like WP-Optimize or Advanced Database Cleaner to remove spam and trashed comments. This keeps your site running smoothly and prevents database overload.

Step 7: Disable Trackbacks & Pingbacks

Spam also comes in the form of trackbacks and pingbacks, which are notifications from other sites linking to your content. While originally intended for networking, they’re often exploited by spammers.

To disable them:

• Go to Settings > Discussion.
• Uncheck “Allow link notifications from other blogs (pingbacks and trackbacks).”

This reduces another vector of spam.

Step 8: Consider Using Third-Party Commenting Systems

If your site heavily relies on comments for community building, switching to a third-party system like Disqus or Jetpack Comments can be beneficial. These platforms have stronger spam controls, moderation tools, and integration with social logins, making it harder for spammers to abuse the system.

Also Read:

• Wix Vs. Wordpress.
• How To Edit the Footer In WordPress?
• Craft CMS Vs. WordPress.
• Webflow Vs. WordPress.
• Joomla Vs. WordPress.

Best Practices To Keep Spam Under Control

• Regularly monitor and update your plugins for the latest spam protection features.
• Never approve suspicious comments just to increase your comment count.
• Educate your audience to avoid posting links in comments unless necessary.
• Combine multiple methods. Such as moderation settings, plugins, and CAPTCHA.

Spam comments are an inevitable challenge for WordPress site owners, but they don’t have to take over your website. By combining WordPress’s built-in moderation settings with powerful plugins, CAPTCHA, blacklists, and database cleaning, you can effectively block and manage spam. Whether you run a blog, online store, or rely on website development services in the UK, effective spam protection keeps your site performing at its best.

Moiz Banoori

Moiz Banoori is a seasoned Digital Marketing professional with over eight years of expertise in content creation and digital journalism. At REDLUMB, he spearheads teams to craft impactful SEO strategies that drive online growth and visibility. With a background in journalism, Moiz leverages his expertise in digital marketing to develop effective strategies that boost online visibility and help clients achieve their goals.