Making Contact Form Spammers Free – Akismet

Spam is one of the most frustrating problems for any website owner. If you use a contact form on your WordPress website—whether it’s Contact Form 7, WPForms, or any other plugin—you’ve probably received unwanted submissions from bots and spammers.

The good news? There’s an easy and powerful solution—Akismet. This plugin automatically filters spam and ensures only genuine messages reach your inbox. In this guide, we’ll explain what Akismet is, why it’s effective, and how you can use it to keep your contact forms spam-free.

What is Akismet?

Akismet is a WordPress anti-spam plugin developed by Automattic, the team behind WordPress.com. It works by automatically checking form submissions and filtering out suspicious or spammy content.

It uses an advanced spam detection algorithm powered by a global database of spam patterns. When a user submits your contact form, Akismet checks it against its database to determine whether it’s spam or a legitimate message.

Why Use Akismet for Contact Form Spam Protection?

Using Akismet for your contact forms comes with several benefits:

1. Automatic Spam Filtering – You don’t have to manually review spam submissions.
2. Works with Popular Form Plugins – Fully compatible with Contact Form 7, WPForms, Gravity Forms, Ninja Forms, and more.
3. Prevents Email Overload – Stops spam emails before they reach your inbox.
4. Improves User Experience – Genuine visitors won’t have to deal with unnecessary CAPTCHA challenges.
5. Saves Time – No need to manually clean your messages daily.

How Akismet Works with Contact Form Plugins

Akismet doesn’t just protect blog comments—it can also scan contact form submissions for spam.

For example, if you use Contact Form 7, you can enable Akismet by simply adding a hidden spam filter tag to your form fields. Once activated, Akismet will automatically check every message before it’s sent to you.

Setting Up Akismet for Your Contact Forms

Here’s a step-by-step guide to setting up Akismet:

Step 1: Install and Activate Akismet

1. Go to your WordPress dashboard.
2. Navigate to Plugins → Add New.
3. Search for Akismet Anti-Spam.
4. Click Install Now and then Activate.

Step 2: Get an Akismet API Key

1. After activation, go to Settings → Akismet Anti-Spam.
2. Click Set up your Akismet account.
3. Sign up for an API key (Free for personal use, Paid for commercial use).
4. Copy the API key provided.

Step 3: Connect Akismet to WordPress

1. Paste the API key into the Akismet settings page.
2. Save changes to activate spam protection.

Step 4: Integrate Akismet with Contact Form 7

If you’re using Contact Form 7:

• Add the akismet:author tag to your Name field.
• Add the akismet:author_email tag to your Email field.
• Save the form.

Now, Akismet will scan every submission for spam.

Best Practices for Spam-Free Contact Forms

While Akismet is powerful, combining it with a few additional measures will make your forms almost completely spam-proof:

1. Use reCAPTCHA or Cloudflare Turnstile – Adds another verification step for bots.
2. Enable Honeypot Fields – Invisible fields that bots fill but humans ignore.
3. Limit Links in Submissions – Block messages with too many URLs.
4. Block Certain Keywords – Prevent messages containing known spam words.

Akismet vs. Other Spam Protection Tools

Feature	Akismet	Google reCAPTCHA	Cloudflare Turnstile
Automatic Filtering	✅ Yes	❌ No	❌ No
Works Invisibly	✅ Yes	❌ No	✅ Yes
No Extra Steps for Users	✅ Yes	❌ No	✅ Yes
Learns from Global Data	✅ Yes	❌ No	❌ No

If you want a hands-off solution that works quietly in the background without annoying users, Akismet is the best choice.

Troubleshooting Akismet Issues

Sometimes, Akismet may block a legitimate message or let spam slip through. Here’s how to fix it:

• Whitelist Trusted Emails – Add safe senders manually.
• Adjust Spam Sensitivity – Fine-tune your spam filter settings.
• Report False Positives – Mark legitimate messages so Akismet learns.

Spam can ruin your contact form experience, but Akismet offers an easy, effective, and automated way to block unwanted messages.

By integrating Akismet with your WordPress contact forms, you’ll:

• Keep your inbox clean.
• Protect your website from spam attacks.
• Save time and improve communication with real users.

If you’re tired of dealing with spam submissions, install Akismet today and enjoy a spammer-free contact form.

Pro Tip: If you use Akismet with Contact Form 7, combine it with a CAPTCHA or honeypot for maximum spam protection.