If your blog allows comments, spam will find you sooner or later. Akismet is an anti-spam service that checks every comment and form submission on your site and filters out the junk automatically.
It is made by Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com. It also ships with every fresh copy of WordPress, though it is not activated by default. Without it, you could spend hours deleting junk comments full of shady links.
How Akismet Catches Spam
When someone posts a comment, Akismet sends it to its cloud servers for a check. There, it is compared with spam patterns learned from a huge network of websites. Spam goes straight to your spam folder, while genuine comments go through as normal.
Think of it as an experienced gatekeeper who already knows the faces of thousands of troublemakers. Most of them never get past the gate.
How to Set Up Akismet in WordPress
- First, go to Plugins → Installed Plugins and activate Akismet.
- Now, click the setup button shown in the banner at the top of the screen.
- Next, pick a plan on the Akismet website and copy your API key.
- Here, paste the key into the Akismet settings page and save it.
The API key works like a password that links your site to the Akismet service. Personal, non-commercial blogs can get a key free of cost, while business sites need a paid plan.
Managing Spam With Akismet
To review caught comments, open Comments and click the Spam link at the top. If a real comment lands there by mistake, click Not Spam. This also helps Akismet learn and get better over time.
Akismet works with many popular contact form plugins too, not just comments. You can learn more about handling junk in our lesson on WordPress spam.
Akismet automatically deletes spam that has been in the spam folder for more than 15 days. So, check the folder now and then for real comments.
We recommend activating Akismet on day one of any new blog. It is a small step that saves you a ton of time. Do you use another anti-spam tool? Tell us in the comment box below.