Easy way to block your most repetitive WordPress comment spam using the default spam blacklist function.
Here’s how you do it…
- Go to your Comments page and look for all the most repetitive spam comments. The ones that comment the same phrases or string of text.
- Then go to Settings > Discussion and scroll to the Comment Blocklist box.
- Paste those phrases in here, putting different ones on its own line.
Why is this the best way to block spam?
REASON #1 – It’s not annoying. Doesn’t harass users with captcha, math questions, checkboxes, or other obstacles that add friction to your user engagement.
REASON #2 – No false positives. Many spam blocking mechanisms out there have always block legitimate comments for me. The automated ones will stop anybody who tries to share multiple links. The blacklist ones will stop anybody trying to use certain words in phrases.
For those wanting blacklists:
- Check out Comment Blacklist for WordPress by splorp
Hi Johnny,
Good to know. So, you’d advocate this approach over using a plugin like Akismet?
Are there any ‘recommended lists’ – lists that people who get lots of spam have put together rather than having to start from scratch? Or is it actually better to have a shorter, more personal list?
PS: You may want to take a look at your social icon formatting – some of the text as wrapping over (eg Facebook, Linkedin and Whatsapp)
I can’t speak for everyone. I like use this tactic alongside Akismet for my site. Others may need something more aggressive. Here’s a good Comment Blacklist for WordPress by splorp. I’ve added it to the post as well.
Thanks for the heads up about the social icons. I updated it recently and didn’t check. Argh, she keeps updating her plugin. Which is great and further modernizes it but a little extra work for me since I do manual custom styling.
Hi Johnny,
The Blacklist method when added in bulk it slow down POST request for the comment submission.
It can have chances of false-positive as well.
I would recommend “Forget Spam Comment” plugin for absolute peace of mind. 💯
I am 500% sure, you will only receive human comments after using my plugin.
It’s plug & play, ultra lightweight (~217 bytes in frontend, of course jQuery free) & GDPR compliant by design. No 3rd-Party server API call. It works within WordPress. 🥰
Thanks
Rumor has it that your the developer behind “Forget Spam Comment”.
It would be fair to mention it. 😉
Definitely not me.