Spam

Spam is totally annoying and a very real issue. What can you do about it?

GeoDirectory ReCaptcha

GeoDirectory has an addon to integrate Google ReCaptcha. We recommend you use it and check off all the options including WordPress login and Registration, Comments/Reviews, Add and Claim listing forms.

Ninja Form ReCaptcha

Add ReCaptcha API keys to Ninja Forms. Then add ReCaptcha fields to the GeoDirectory Contact and Claim forms.

UsersWP or Alternative Login or Registration

If you use a different plugin for login or registration, you should also install the ReCaptcha for that plugin.

UsersWP offers a free ReCaptcha addon.

Bots and Advertisers

Most bots will be caught out by ReCaptcha, but if you are still getting spam form submissions, there is a chance that they are coming from real people filling out those forms to place ‘free’ backlinks on your site for their own purposes.

If you are getting Spam submissions, make sure you have ReCaptcha enabled for all your forms. If that doesn’t catch them, you can try some of the following ideas.

Email Verification

UsersWP and some alternative login plugins have an option to require email verification. Human spammers can still verify email, but it may stop some of them.

UsersWP has the option for Email Verification Built in

User Moderation

UsersWP and some alternative login plugins have an option to moderate new user registrations. This inserts a step for administrators, making it necessary to approve new users before they can start using the site.

This can be useful if your site has become a desireable posting for spammers. You can catch their fake email addresses and delete them before they start posting.

Registration Restriction

If you know where the problem is you can use a plugin like UsersWP Restrict User Signups to ban particular usernames, emails, or even whole email domains.

Comments/Ratings/Reviews Restriction

By default WP allows user to post comments without logging in. You can reduce comment spam by forcing users to register before adding a comment/rating/review.

Find the settings at:

WP Backend – Settings – Discussion

Listing Status

If your users are adding listing spam then consider setting all new listings to Draft or Pending Review status in the GD settings at:

GeoDirectory – Settings – General – Show advanced

Akismet

Akismet is a 3rd party service for evaluating WP comments.

FAQ