Dealing with spam in your posts and comments Updated on April 4, 2022 by InMotion Hosting Contributor 1 Minutes, 38 Seconds to Read In this article we’ll explain a common problem that you find in many CMS applications, and forum software. By default these type of applications typically give visitors the ability to comment on your posts, or add to your forum discussions without registering for an account. Or in some cases they will require an account, but no manual verification to prove that visitor is a human. This can lead to spam bots attempting to use your site to boost their own search engine rankings, by leaving comments on your site linking back to their site. This might not seem like a huge deal, but it can have multiple negative effects if left unattended. First, your own site’s search engine rankings could be negatively affected if you have a large amount of spam content on your site. Additionally there could be a large amount of resources wasted on the server to be able to parse all of those spam comments out of your database again and again. Install CAPTCHA Deter spam bots from registering accounts on your site by implementing a CAPTCHA system which stands for “Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart”. What is CAPTCHA How to install the WP-reCAPTCHA plugin for WordPress How to install the WordPress Captcha plugin How to enabled reCAPTCHA in Joomla 2.5 How to change the default CAPTCHA in Joomla 3.0 Moderate accounts User registrations for your forum or CMS should be reviewed from time to time to ensure they aren’t being used for spam purposes. Clean-up spam Purge spam content from your database periodically. This can be done either directly through your application, or if the spam is more extensive sometimes directly removing the spam from your database using phpMyAdmin is a better option. Application level clean-up How to manage comments in WordPress How to manage comments in Premium Web Builder How to prune phpBB forum posts Direct database clean-up with phpMyAdmin How to clean up database spam in WordPress Share this Article InMotion Hosting Contributor Content Writer InMotion Hosting contributors are highly knowledgeable individuals who create relevant content on new trends and troubleshooting techniques to help you achieve your online goals! More Articles by InMotion Hosting Related Articles How to Import Email Accounts and Forwarders into cPanel How to Configure Mailbox Quota Notifications How to Login to SquirrelMail SpamAssassin: Fighting Spam How to Fix the “550 No Such User Here” Email Error How to Setup an Email AutoResponder in cPanel Logging into Horde How to Change an Email Password in cPanel and Webmail How to Purchase InMotion Hosting Professional Email in AMP What is MailChannels and How it Benefits You