Spam is one of the most annoying things everyone has to deal with, and contact form spam is among them. Every website owner must have faced this type of contact form spam at least once. No matter how big or small the website is, spambots will target you, overwhelming your inbox with meaningless and spam demo messages.
These automated-generated messages not only waste your time but also eat web hosting resources, so it takes your time to filter through hundreds of thousands of entries to label or remove apparent spam and then assess whether the others are genuine individuals or bots disguised as them.
This blog will explore six practical tips to combat the menace of contact form spam in WordPress, helping you maintain a streamlined communication channel with your website visitors.
What’s the Deal with Contact Form Spam Anyway?
But before we delve into safeguarding techniques for contact form spam, let’s first gain a clear understanding of what contact form spams entail and how they pose a threat to both you and your business.
Contact form spams are the handiwork of spambots, automated computer programs engineered to inundate your contact forms or email signup forms with fabricated information. These insidious digital entities relentlessly search for vulnerabilities that would allow them to commandeer your website, server, or email address, thereby facilitating their nefarious activities of sending out copious amounts of spam emails. In more dire scenarios, these spambots may even pilfer your email list, ensuring a constant supply of fresh targets for their spam campaigns.
One proactive step you can take is to opt for a secure WordPress hosting platform, significantly reducing the susceptibility to such malevolent endeavors. However, by implementing additional countermeasures, you can further minimize the risks associated with contact form spam.
Utilizing a dependable contact form plugin is a pivotal measure in fortifying your site against potential hackers and making it more challenging for them to inundate it with spam. Fortunately, there are numerous strategies you can employ with the aid of a WordPress plugin to thwart contact form spam effectively.
Now, let’s delve into the intricacies of safeguarding your contact forms from the clutches of spam.
6 Tips to Stop Contact Form Spam
These tips will help you stop spam in contact forms; some are plugins, some are methods, but most of them work like magic .
- Use Anti-Spam Plugin
Two of the most popular plugins, Akismet and Titan Anti-Spam plugins, are free to get started; these plugins often function separately from your forms and guard your website against spam comments and submissions from contact forms. (usually your feedback and contact forms).
Some anti-spam plugins also allow you to add a CAPTCHA or other anti-spam mechanism to your contact form, and they check submissions against blacklists of terms, names, and email addresses.
Therefore, it is a good idea to read over their instructions and information before you start utilizing any of these plugins.
- Use reCAPTCHA
ReCAPTCHA is an invaluable tool for your contact form spam. It requires site visitors to verify their humanity when submitting your form, effectively thwarting spam submissions. This security feature not only demonstrates your commitment to site security but also enhances form conversion rates.
ReCAPTCHA has evolved to be user-friendly. In version 2, users simply hover over a checkbox to prove they’re not automated spam bots, a significant improvement from the earlier text-based CAPTCHAs that posed challenges for users. For even more seamless integration, consider the v2 Invisible version, which presents an image-based question to ensure human interaction.
In reCAPTCHA v3, a behind-the-scenes scoring system monitors user behavior to detect suspicious activity without bothering visitors with challenge questions. However, be aware that using v3 may inadvertently prevent legitimate visitors from using your contact form. In such cases, reCAPTCHA v2 is a reliable alternative.
If you prefer not to rely on Google’s anti-spam service, you can implement custom CAPTCHA challenges, where visitors must answer word-based or math questions before submitting their information.
- Custom CAPTCHA
Custom CAPTCHA challenges involve adding personalized word-based or mathematical questions to your contact form, requiring visitors to provide correct answers to submit their forms. For instance, you can ask users to solve a simple equation like 2 + 8 before allowing them to proceed with the form submission.
Something like this:
If you’re using WPForms, a WordPress contact form plugin, you have the flexibility to incorporate multiple custom questions that rotate randomly with each page load. Consider periodically changing these questions, especially if your site experiences high traffic (e.g., monthly) or less frequent updates (e.g., quarterly), to enhance their effectiveness in deterring spam.
- Deploy the Honeypot Anti-Spam Method
The honeypot method offers an inconspicuous means of safeguarding your contact forms against spam. It involves adding a hidden field in your form’s code, invisible to human visitors but detectable by spambots scouring the code. Spambots are deceived into assuming it’s a valid form field and may attempt to fill it out. However, your form recognizes this particular field as a honeypot and rejects any submissions with it filled out or filled out incorrectly, depending on your configuration.
This method enhances user experience by minimizing the need for challenge questions and fosters a sense of security through the display of the Google Terms of Service badge. WPForms typically enables the honeypot method by default, but it’s advisable to verify the settings in your specific form builder within WordPress, or you can try this plugin – WP Armour
- Disable Copy and Paste in Your Forms
Another method to protect your contact forms from spam is by disabling right-click functionality on your WordPress site. This approach primarily thwarts human spammers who attempt to copy and paste information into your forms. Additionally, it offers the added benefit of preventing content theft from your site.
You can achieve this by installing plugins such as “WP Content Copy Protection & No Right Click” or “Disable Right Click For WP,” which disable right-click functionality site-wide.
- Block Traffic by IP Address
In cases where you observe a substantial influx of spambot activity on your site, you have the option to block traffic originating from specific IP addresses to safeguard your contact forms. However, it’s crucial to exercise caution when employing this method, as it may inadvertently block legitimate traffic from the same IPs.
To implement IP blocking, add the IP addresses you wish to block to the “Comment Blacklist” field within the Discussion settings of your WordPress admin panel. More advanced users can accomplish this through their web hosting control panel or by using security plugins like Sucuri.
Conclusion
Finally, if you follow these six tips and implement the suggested examples, you can stop your contact forms from spamming against the computer programs built into spam, ensuring that your website serves its intended purpose effectively.
In summary, here’s a quick recap of the strategies to reduce contact form spam:
- Utilize a reliable CAPTCHA solution, such as Google’s reCAPTCHA.
- Implement a form validation plugin like “Akismet” to filter out spam submissions.
- Incorporate a HoneyPot field to trick spam bots into revealing themselves.
- Set up time-based triggers to detect suspiciously fast form submissions.
- Implement IP blocking to prevent known spammers from accessing your contact forms.
- Regularly update and maintain your website, including core, plugins, and themes.
By applying these measures and adapting them to your specific needs, you can significantly reduce the nuisance of contact form spam and ensure that your WordPress website remains a trusted platform for genuine communication.
FAQs on Contact Form Spam
Are CAPTCHAs effective against all types of spam?
CAPTCHAs are highly effective against automated bot attacks but may not prevent all types of spam. It’s essential to combine CAPTCHAs with other spam-fighting measures for comprehensive protection.
Can I customize the appearance of CAPTCHAs on my website?
Yes, many CAPTCHA plugins allow you to customize their appearance to match your website’s design and branding.
Are there any downsides to enabling comment moderation?
While comment moderation helps prevent spam, it can also delay the publication of legitimate comments. Make sure to check your moderation queue regularly to approve genuine comments promptly.
How often should I update my spam filtering plugin?
It’s advisable to keep your spam filtering plugin updated regularly to ensure it can effectively combat new spamming techniques.
