By using the Akismet plugin on your WordPress website, you can safeguard it from spam comments. It helps you protect your site from spam comments by automatically filtering and moderating them.
Step 1. Install the Akismet Plugin:
- If you don’t have the Akismet plugin installed, you can easily add it by following these steps:
- Go to your WordPress dashboard.
- Click on “Plugins” in the left sidebar.
- Click “Add New.”
- In the search bar, type “Akismet” and hit Enter.
- When you see the Akismet plugin, click “Install Now.”
- After installation, click “Activate.”
Step 2. Get The API Key:
- To use Akismet, you need an API key. Follow these steps to obtain one:
- After activating the plugin, you will see a prompt at the top of your WordPress dashboard, asking you to “Set up your Akismet account.”
- Click “Set up your Akismet account.”
- You’ll be directed to the Akismet website. If you have an account, you can log in. If not, you can sign up.
- Choose a plan. Akismet offers a free plan for personal websites and premium plans for commercial sites.
- Complete the setup process to obtain your API key.
Step 3. Configure Akismet:
- After obtaining your API key, go back to your WordPress dashboard:
- Click on “Akismet” in the left sidebar.
- Enter your API key in the “Enter your API key” field.
- Click “Connect with API Key.”
- Akismet will verify your key and activate the plugin.
Step 4. Customize Akismet Settings:
- To configure the plugin’s settings to meet your needs:
- Click on “Akismet” in the left sidebar.
- Go to the “Settings” tab.
- Here, you can customize the plugin’s behavior, such as how to handle suspected spam comments, and set up notification preferences.
Step 5. Review The Moderation Queue:
- Akismet will automatically check comments and form submissions for spam. It will send suspicious items to the moderation queue.
- To review comments in the moderation queue, go to “Comments” in your WordPress dashboard.
- You can approve or delete comments as needed.
Akismet learns from your feedback. If a comment is mistakenly flagged as spam (false positive) or not flagged when it should have been (false negative), provide feedback to help improve its accuracy. When reviewing comments in the moderation queue, use the provided options to mark false positives or false negatives.
The plugin offers statistics about its performance. You can check these statistics in the Akismet settings under the “Akismet Stats” tab. Always keep your Akismet plugin and WordPress installation updated to ensure you have the latest spam protection features and security enhancements.
By following these steps, you can effectively set up and use the Akismet plugin to protect your WordPress website from spam comments, improving the quality of user-generated content on your site while reducing the need for manual moderation.