What is reCAPTCHA and How To Get Rid of Spam
Whether it is a field to submit a comment or a full fledge contact form, bots will find them and submit spammy data. If you’re a web developer, website owner or even just a blogger, scrolling through and deleting spam data from your inbox can be exhausting.
With a reCAPTCHA, you can eliminate this extra work. In this article, I will be explaining what is reCAPTCHA and how you can add one to your online forms.
Table of Contents
What is reCAPTCHA?
“Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart”
Yes, CAPTCHA is actually an acronym. Owned by Google, ReCAPTCHA is an important tool that millions of web developers use for their online submission forms.
Their purpose is to prevent pesky spam bots from filling out the forms found on within a website. They help prevent fake comments, emails, form submissions and even fraudulent transactions.
You have seen a CAPTCHA before.
Most often they just require you check a box stating “I’m not a robot.” But, they can also be image-based puzzles or distorted letters/numbers.
These small puzzles are actually advanced techniques put together by Google that help stop suspicious visitors from spamming your website.
They work because humans have a capability computes have yet to mimic. That is processing and interpreting visual data.
Do I need a reCAPTCHA for My Online Forms?
The answer is yes!
Forms without a reCAPTCHA are prone to spam submissions. Imagine trying to run an online business and having to thoroughly go through each form entry in your inbox to verify that it is a legitimate submission?
It would be tedious and time-consuming work that is easily preventable.
Spam submissions not only can make your life more difficult but can also lead to greater consequences including vulnerability to malware and viruses.
Now, I know what you’re thinking.
There is no denying that on the user’s end, a reCAPTHCA can be extremely annoying. It takes on average ten extra seconds to complete forms with reCAPTCHA. Adding them could result in an increase of form abandonment.
However, if the user was actually serious about filling out your form in the first place, they will stick around to do so regardless of the reCAPTCHA step.
So, if you’re sick of bots and spam entries filling up your inbox, then you should be adding a CAPTCHA to your forms. But how do you do this you ask?
How to Add a reCAPTCHA with WPForms
Step 1. Install the WPForms Plugin for WordPress
If you haven’t done so already, download and install the WPForms plugin found in WordPress. It is the best form builder available.
Step 2. Configuring reCAPTCHA Settings
Click on the WPForms tab found in the WordPress dashboard and select Settings.
Then, find reCAPTCHA listed at the top within Settings.
For this example, we are going to select Checkbox reCAPTCHA v2.
During this step, you are going to need a Site Key and a Secret Key that is generated by Google.
Visit Google’s reCAPTCHA setup page and select the Admin Console.
I am assuming this is your first time doing this, so you are going to want to add a new website. Fill out all the fields found on the page.
Under reCAPTCHA type, select reCAPTCHA v2.
Once you have added your domain and filled in the rest of the required fields click Submit.
Google will then generate a Site Key and Secret Key for you.
Copy these keys and head back into your WPForms settings.
Paste the two keys in the corresponding fields.
Congrats! You have officially configured reCAPTCHA on your website. Now, let’s go ahead and add a reCAPTCHA to your online forms.
Step 3. Adding a reCAPTCHA to Your Online Forms
Start with a blank form.
Once inside the form builder, click on Settings found in the left toolbar.
Under General, click the Enable Google Checkbox v2 reCAPTCHA box.
From there, add the remaining fields you want to have just like how you would when creating other WPForms.
By default, the reCAPTCHA will appear at the bottom of your form and will be apparent once the user goes to hit Submit on your website.
Now, you have a brand new online form that is spam-proof! Add the form by copying the shortcode or embedding it on any pages or posts of your choosing!
Using a Custom CAPTCHA Addon
I get it. Some people are stubborn and refuse to associate or use anything Google created.
Luckily, you don’t have to use Google reCAPTCHA to prevent spam from flooding your inbox. You can also add an interactive reCAPTCHA to your website with WPForms Custom CAPTCHA Addon.
With this WPForms addon, you have the option to display a custom question at the bottom of your forms that will prevent spam bots from hitting submit.
Instead of a checkbox, the Custom CAPTCHA Addon gives you the option to display either a simple Math Problem or a Question and Answer. The user will need to answer the prompt correctly in order to submit the form.
To add a Custom CAPTCHA, just drag the CAPTCHA field into the form you are creating and select the settings. It is that easy!
