1. Use Google reCAPTCHA
Google reCAPTCHA v3 or v2 (Checkbox) significantly reduces spam by distinguishing bots from humans.

1. Go to Google reCAPTCHA.
2. Register your site and get the site key and secret key.
3. In your WordPress dashboard, navigate to the contact form plugin (e.g., WPForms, Contact Form 7).
4. Find the reCAPTCHA settings and input the keys.
5. Enable reCAPTCHA for your forms.

2. Use hCaptcha
- hCaptcha offers similar bot protection but focuses more on privacy and GDPR compliance.
- Follow the same process as reCAPTCHA by registering on hCaptcha
- Replace reCAPTCHA with hCaptcha in your form settings.

3. Install Anti-Spam Plugins
Recommended Plugins:

• Akismet (By Automattic)– Filters out spam from forms and comments.
• Antispam Bee – Free and effective (great for GDPR compliance).
• WP Armour – Adds invisible honeypot protection to forms.

4. Enable Honeypot Protection
- A honeypot field is hidden from users but visible to bots. If filled, it flags submissions as spam.
- Plugins with Honeypot Support:

• WPForms (Automatically enabled by default).
• Gravity Forms(Enable honeypot under form settings).
• Fluent Forms (Built-in honeypot option).

5. Add Custom Captcha or Math Captcha
- Simple questions like “What is digit1 + digit2 ?” or captchas can effectively block bots.

6. Blacklist IPs and Block URLs
Block suspicious IP addresses that repeatedly spam your forms.
- Disable URL input in forms to prevent spam links.
- Plugins to Use:

• Wordfence – IP blocking and firewall.
• All in One WP Security – Includes spam prevention options.

7. Require Email Verification for New Users
Spammers and bots often use fake emails to register on your site. Requiring email verification adds an extra step that deters them, as most spammers won’t bother to complete the process. This simple measure helps reduce fake registrations and keeps your site secure.


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