I currently operate about a dozen blogs online and I found myself spending several hours a week deleting or filtering comment spam. Comment spam is generated by highly advertised one-click robot software that promises to get traffic to your offer. You don't use that stuff, right!
The problem is that some people, especially those new to internet marketing, tend to abuse the software. I am sure that when used ethically and responsibly,if could really help drive traffic, however, this doesn't seem to be the typical pattern.
Having tried several plugins for WordPress, in addition to requiring registration on my sites, I was still getting lots of this type of commentary. It is frustrating, to say the least. So, I purchased an Akismet code and installed this to all my sites, and then added a Captcha.
The results were a slight improvement, but I still had to view what was 'caught' in the spam filter and decide if some of it might have been mis-directed.
Always diligent in my research efforts, I discovered a somewhat underutilized method that is, so far, proving quite effective.
I have restructured one of my sites into a members only site! I also added an email verification requirement for posting comments. So, even if someone manages to get past the membership, no comment is posted unless they verify their valid email.
Now, I am sure this is not the 'final' solution to the problem, but it is already showing a market difference in the amount of spam I am receiving. There is, however, a drawback,
If you are only looking at the number of 'registered users' on your site as a valid indicator of your traffic, you will soon be disappointed. The user data in the WordPress install contains all those spammer's details, so your actual visitors are probably much lower.
Yet, again, there is the advantage of being able to build a qualified list of visitor/members for your site using this method. Providing a special content area for registered members of the site which requires a login before use, can substantially improve the perception of your expertise as well. And, it can be a FREE membership. I am even offering incentives for joining in addition to the availability of the members only content.
If you are suffering with comment spam on your site you may want to consider looking into setting up the site as a membership only site. It is not difficult to implement on an existing site.
Here is what I did in under an hour:
1. I installed a plugin that allowed me to 'lock' pages and posts. Visitors are presented with a page that informs them that they must register for membership to view the content.
2. I Password protected the pages I wanted to restrict. While I also left some content unlocked, this allows me to add premium content now, and in the future.
3. I added a sign-up form. I use AWeber so I simply copied an existing form, removed all the extras so I have only the name, email, and submit button, and I posted the code in a text widget that appears on every page of the site.
4. I created my email follow-up messages. The first, requesting verification of email, informs the user that they will immediately be receiving a pass-code to use to access the site. The second followup supplies the site URL and the pass-code(s) to the site.
5. I wrote a post explaining the new format and set it as a static front page.
All this was accomplished on a high content site with hundreds of posts and dozens of pages. I even did a few changes to the theme so it looks refreshed.
So far the number of users coming onto the site has only decreased by about 5% so I am still getting the visitors AND I am building a new list that I can contact in the future.
I hope this is a solution you might consider. I am sure it is not perfect, but I believe the benefits are substantial enough to be something worth considering.
I am Barbara Cagle, a teacher and internet guru who has been online since about 1989. A wealth of information and expertise is mine to share and I do so FREELY and without reservation.
If you need help with building your business online, internet marketing, affiliate marketing, ore building a website please feel free to checkout all the FREE tutorials and content I can offer at Cagle Online Membership. Free to Join and FREE to use. I have just launched a sister site for Internet Marketers that continues the 'How can I help you" tradition.
I hope you will check them out and be sure to visit the forums to connect with other like minded people. Thank you for your time, Barbara.
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