Chykalophia Docs

Learn how to handle spam comments on your WordPress site — how to block them, moderate them, and keep your comment section clean.

If your WordPress site has a comment section, spam comments are almost inevitable. They're mostly automated, impersonal, and annoying — but they're easy to deal with once you have the right setup in place.

Quick summary

Install Akismet Anti-Spam (personal sites can use it for free; business sites need a paid plan) and enable comment moderation under Settings → Discussion. Akismet catches most spam automatically. For the rest, use the moderation queue to approve genuine comments and mark fakes as spam.

What spam comments look like

Spam comments usually fall into a few patterns:

Generic compliments with a link: "Great post! Visit my site at [suspicious URL]."
Gibberish text with multiple links
Keyword-stuffed text trying to build links
Off-topic promotional content

Many are sent automatically by bots, though some are posted by hand. They're rarely aimed at you personally: the goal is usually to place links on as many sites as possible.

Step 1: Install Akismet Anti-Spam

Akismet is a widely used spam-filtering plugin for WordPress. It's made by Automattic, the company that owns WordPress.com.

Go to Plugins → Add Plugin in your WordPress dashboard. (If Akismet is already listed under Plugins → Installed Plugins, skip to activating it.)

Search for "Akismet", check that the author is Automattic, and click Install Now.

Click Activate. You'll be prompted to get an Akismet API key.

Get an API key at akismet.com. The Personal plan (you name your price, and free is allowed) is for personal, non-commercial sites. Business and other commercial sites need a paid plan (see akismet.com/pricing for current plans).

Enter your API key. On WordPress 7.0 or later, go to Settings → Connectors, find Akismet Anti-spam, click Set up, paste the key, and click Save. On older versions, go to Settings → Akismet Anti-spam and click Manually enter an API key. Akismet is then active on your site.

Akismet works silently in the background. It checks each new comment against its global spam database and filters out the ones that look like spam, moving them to your Spam list. (Its settings also let it silently discard the worst spam instead.)

Step 2: Set up comment moderation

Even with Akismet running, configure your Discussion settings as a second layer:

Go to Settings → Discussion in your WordPress dashboard.

Under "Before a comment appears," check "Comment must be manually approved." This holds new comments from visitors in a moderation queue until you review them. (Comments from the post's author, Administrators and Editors still go straight through.)

Alternatively, check "Comment author must have a previously approved comment" (it's on by default). Returning commenters with an earlier approved comment (recognised by their user account, or by the same name and email address) can post without waiting; everyone else's comments are held for review.

Click Save Changes.

See Comments & discussion settings for all the options.

Managing the spam queue

To review comments waiting for action:

Click Comments in your WordPress dashboard sidebar.

Click the "Spam" or "Pending" filter at the top of the comments list.

For each comment: hover over it to see your options — Approve, Reply, Quick Edit, Edit, Spam, or Trash. (In the Spam view, the options are Not Spam and Delete Permanently.)

Approve — Lets the comment appear publicly.
Spam — Marks it as spam. With Akismet active, this also teaches Akismet's filters.
Trash — Moves it to the Trash without marking it as spam. WordPress deletes items in the Trash permanently after 30 days by default.

Always mark spam as spam, not just trash

Marking a comment as Spam (rather than Trash) teaches Akismet's filters, and Akismet says this improves its accuracy for everyone who uses it. It makes a difference.

Turning off comments altogether

If you're getting overwhelmed by spam and don't really need a comment section, turning off comments entirely is a valid choice. Many business sites don't need them.

Go to Settings → Discussion and uncheck "Allow people to submit comments on new posts." See Comments & discussion settings for how to also disable comments on existing posts.

Additional anti-spam measures

For high-traffic sites or sites with persistent spam problems:

Add a CAPTCHA to comments — Some security plugins offer this. It requires humans to complete a challenge before commenting.
Disable comments on older posts — Go to Settings → Discussion, check "Automatically close comments on old posts," and set "Close comments when post is how many days old." Akismet recommends closing comments on older posts to help prevent spam.
Require registration to comment — In Settings → Discussion, check "Users must be registered and logged in to comment." This can cut down automated spam, though it won't stop every spammer.

Common questions

My spam queue has thousands of comments — do I need to delete them all manually?

No. In the Comments section, click "Spam" to view the spam queue, then click "Empty Spam" to delete everything at once. You don't need to review them individually.

Akismet is installed but spam is still getting through — what do I do?

Make sure your API key is entered correctly and the connection is active (check the Akismet settings page). Also enable "Comment must be manually approved" as a backup. If spam is very heavy, consider turning off comments entirely or requiring login to comment.

Are contact form submissions the same as comments?

No — they're separate. Contact form spam is a different problem, handled by your form plugin (often with a CAPTCHA or honeypot field; Akismet can also check submissions from compatible form plugins). See Working with contact forms for guidance.

Does spam affect my site's performance or SEO?

Spam in your spam queue doesn't appear publicly, so it doesn't directly harm SEO. But if spam comments were ever approved and published, those links could affect your site's reputation. That's why moderation matters.

Need a hand?

If you're stuck, email support@chykalophia.com and we'll help. Include your website address and a screenshot if you can.

Dealing with spam comments