Spam comments are a constant annoyance for WordPress site owners, flooding their inbox and comment sections with irrelevant or harmful content. To combat spam effectively in both contact forms and comments, a practical solution involves blacklisting specific keywords or phrases. WordPress offers this feature natively, empowering website administrators to proactively block designated words or phrases, regardless of their sensitivity to letter case. By leveraging WordPress’ built-in capability to blacklist keywords or phrases, site owners gain control over their website’s content, fostering a spam-free environment for user engagement and moderation.
By strategically identifying and adding known spam triggers to the blacklist, WordPress automatically filters out comments and contact form submissions containing these flagged terms. As a result, the moderation process becomes streamlined, and there is higher chance to block that disruptive spam that constantly tries to reach your inbox.
How to Use “Disallowed Comment Keys”:
Thankfully, there are several effective strategies to implement a blocking process for a list of keywords. The native and easiest solution lies in leveraging the “Disallowed Comment Keys” feature within WordPress’ discussion settings. This straightforward yet potent tool empowers website administrators to proactively block specific words and phrases, effectively preventing them from appearing in comments. By incorporating this initial layer of defense against spam, site owners can significantly enhance the overall user experience by ensuring that genuine and relevant comments receive the attention they deserve, free from the noise of spam.”
Enabling the “Disallowed Comment Keys” feature in WordPress is a breeze. Simply navigate to your WordPress dashboard, click on “Settings,” then select “Discussion.” Scroll down to the “Disallowed Comment Keys” section, where you can enter the list of words and phrases you wish to ban. Once you’ve saved the changes, any comment containing those blacklisted words or phrases will be automatically blocked from appearing on your site.
The Power of Blocking Common Phrases:
Spammers often resort to using widely recognized phrases to promote their dubious agendas. By blacklisting these common spam topics, you can nip potential spam attacks in the bud. Here are ten common topics you should consider banning:
- Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency
- Adult Content and NSFW (Not Safe for Work) references
- Pharmaceuticals
- Online Gambling and Casinos
- Weight Loss and Diet Pills
- Fake IDs and Documents
- Fake Diplomas and Certificates
- Loan Offers and Financial Scams
- Online Dating and Romance Scams
- Get-Rich-Quick Schemes
If you are new to the website management industry, then you should expect your 80% of spam coming with the above topics. If you are an experienced website administrator, probably you have discovered the above by know.
Adding Key Phrases to the Blacklist:
To strengthen your spam defenses, check for “sequences” of keywords or popular phrases inside your spam submissions. Locate the most common ones and add them to the Disallowed Comment Keys. For example, we have gathered around 50 common phrases that you can add to the “Disallowed Comment Keys” list. Of course, you must add any potential phrases you specifically receive in your spam in the list below:
Make money fast
Free gift card
Enlarge your [body part]
One weird trick
Congratulations, you've won
Click here for free
Lose weight quickly
Cheap prescription drugs
Buy Viagra online
Meet hot singles
Get out of debt now
Earn $1000 a day
Make money from home
Work from anywhere
Limited time offer
You've been selected
Special promotion
Money-back guarantee
Act now
Call toll-free
No purchase necessary
Double your income
Fast cash
Hidden charges apply
Instant approval
Serious cash only
Not a scam
100% satisfied
Risk-free investment
Exclusive deal
Limited spots available
No strings attached
Order now
Extra income opportunity
Money-making secret
Secret formula revealed
Guaranteed results
No credit check required
Free trial offer
Stop snoring now
No catch, no strings
Hot stock tip
Amazing results
Fast and easy
Be your own boss
Collect your prize
Earn cash online
No hidden fees
Rebuild your credit
Risk-free trial
Remember, the above are just an example (we are not allowed to write the worst of what you’ll see due to potential drawbacks in our SEO). Also, do not forget that spam tactics evolve over time, so periodically update your blacklist to stay ahead of the spammers.
Adding Key Phrases to the Blacklist:
Adding the above list to our WordPress installation looks like this:
It is essential to note that gaps within words are counted as normal, meaning that a single entry in the list can block multiple variations of the same word. For instance, adding “free” to the blacklist will prevent comments containing “freebies,” “freely,” or any other derivatives from appearing.
Furthermore, the sensitivity to letter case is irrelevant in this process. Whether the blacklisted words or phrases are in lowercase, uppercase, or a combination of both, WordPress will filter out any comment containing those terms without discriminating based on letter case. Additionally, administrators can include IP addresses in the “Disallowed Comment Keys” list to further enhance the spam-blocking capabilities. By adding suspicious IP addresses used in spam attacks, administrators can ensure that any submissions originating from those IPs are automatically rejected, adding an extra layer of protection against potential spam.
Block specific words and phrases in your WordPress site
By leveraging the “Disallowed Comment Keys” feature in WordPress, site owners can effortlessly block common spam phrases, effectively minimizing the presence of spam in their comment sections. While this is an essential step in fighting spam, it is just one of the many measures that should be taken. Implementing additional anti-spam tools and using captchas can further fortify your website’s defenses against unwanted content. So, don’t wait—take advantage of this simple and free solution to safeguard your website from spam attacks, and offer your visitors a more enjoyable and authentic user experience.