What is Akismet and Why You Should Start Using it Right Away

As a WordPress site owner, you likely know how frustrating comment spam can be. Out of every 100 comments, 85 or more could be spam – that‘s a ton of manual moderation!

This is where Akismet comes in. Available as a plugin on WordPress, it automatically blocks spam comments to save you time, effort, and hassle.

In this detailed guide, I‘ll explain what Akismet is, how it works, and why you should be using it:

What makes it an essential plugin.
How to set it up step-by-step.
Configuring settings optimally.
Reviewing blocked spam comments.
And more to help you use Akismet like a pro!

As a developer and webmaster with over 15 years of experience, I‘ve seen firsthand how invaluable Akismet is for combating comment spam.

I‘ll share my tips and expertise to help you get the most out of Akismet. Let‘s get started!

What is Akismet?

Akismet is an anti-spam service created by Automattic, the company behind WordPress. It was founded in 2005 by Matt Mullenweg, the co-founder of WordPress.

It comes pre-installed on all WordPress sites, but needs to be activated to start protecting your site.

Akismet uses advanced algorithms and collective learning to catch and block spam comments.

It learns from over 10 million sites to identify patterns that spam typically shares across the web.

As of 2022, Akismet has caught over 800 billion spam comments and counting. It blocks over 95% of spam on most sites.

On a popular site without Akismet, spam could account for over 85% of all comments:

Manually moderating comments of this volume would take countless hours.

Akismet saves you time by automating the process of catching obvious spam. This allows you to focus on more important things.

Why You Should Use Akismet on WordPress

Here are some key reasons why Akismet is an essential plugin for any WordPress site:

1. Saves You Time and Effort

Akismet automatically catches and blocks spam comments in the background.

It typically flags 95% or more of all spam. This allows you to focus time on moderating real, legitimate user comments rather than spam.

2. Keeps Your Site Clean

By instantly removing spam comments, Akismet keeps your site clean and protects users from malicious links, phishing attempts, and inappropriate content.

3. High Accuracy with Low False Positives

Akismet is highly accurate in what it flags as spam, with under 1% false positives (legitimate comments blocked incorrectly).

It catches even the most sophisticated spam bots and tactics. Accuracy improves over time as it learns.

4. Easy To Install and Use

Akismet seamlessly integrates with WordPress. It‘s easy to activate and needs minimal setup.

Once enabled, it runs automatically in the background with no management needed. You can ignore it completely after setup!

5. Trusted by Millions of Sites

With over 10 million active sites protected, Akismet is the most widely used anti-spam plugin. No rival comes close.

Akismet is made by Automattic and bundled with WordPress, so you can trust it.

6. Free for Smaller Sites

Akismet offers a free Personal plan for personal blogs and sites with under 50,000 comments. Paid plans start at $5/month.

For most smaller sites, the free plan is sufficient to get the essential anti-spam capabilities.

As you can see, Akismet provides immense value in terms of time savings, security, accuracy, ease of use, and trustworthiness. It‘s a no-brainer for any WordPress site owner!

Next, let‘s go through the steps to set up and configure Akismet.

How to Activate and Set Up Akismet in WordPress

Akismet comes pre-installed on all WordPress sites but needs to be activated first. Here is how to set it up:

Log in to your WordPress dashboard, and go to Plugins > Installed Plugins.
Find Akismet in the list and click Activate to turn it on.
Next, go to Settings > Akismet Anti-Spam in the dashboard menu.
Click on Set up your Akismet account. This will open up the Akismet site.
Choose a pricing plan. The free Personal plan works for small sites. Paid plans start at $5/month.
Enter your name, email, and site URL to sign up. Check the box to agree to terms.
Check your inbox for a confirmation email, and enter the confirmation code back on the Akismet site.
You will receive your Akismet API key in email. Copy it.
Go back to the Akismet settings page in your WordPress dashboard. Click on Enter API key manually.
Paste your Akismet API key and click Verify key.

That‘s it! Akismet is now active and will start blocking spam comments across your site.

Here is a visual summary of the steps:

It takes less than 5 minutes to get Akismet up and running.

Now let‘s go over some recommended settings you can tweak.

Customizing Akismet Settings for Optimal Use

Akismet works right out of the box with its default settings. But you can tweak them based on your specific needs:

1. Comments

Show number of approved comments – Displays comment count alongside names of approved users.
Always put comments in moderation – Puts all comments in moderation queue rather than auto-approving some. Useful when starting out if you want to manually verify all comments.
Strictness – How aggressively Akismet should flag comments as spam. Start with the default and increase gradually.

2. Privacy

Display privacy notice – Shows a compact privacy notice under your comment forms. Recommended for transparency.

3. Stats

Akismet Stats – Lets you see metrics for number of spam comments caught, false positives, and more. Useful for assessing performance.

Tweak settings based on your specific site and requirements. I recommend enabling comment counts and keeping Strictness at default level initially.

Be sure to click Save Changes after modifying settings.

Now let‘s go over how to review caught spam comments…

How to Review Blocked Spam Comments

Akismet automatically moves comments it flags as spam into your spam folder. It‘s good practice to review them occasionally – here is how:

In your WordPress dashboard, go to Comments.
Click on the Spam tab. This will display comments marked as spam.
Scroll through the list and review. Check if any valid comments were incorrectly flagged.
If you see a legitimate comment flagged as spam, click Not Spam to approve it. This will train Akismet.
For actual spam, you can either delete the comment or keep it marked as spam.
Optionally, click Empty Spam to delete all comments in one go.

I recommend reviewing periodically, like once a week. It only takes a minute to skim recent spam but helps boost Akismet‘s accuracy on your site.

You‘ll notice most flaged comments are obvious spam – content promoting online casinos, pharmaceuticals, etc. But if you do find any incorrect ones, be sure to re-classify them properly.

This feedback helps Akismet learn the nuances of your site‘s audience better over time.

Comparing Akismet Plans – Free vs Paid

Akismet offers both a free Personal plan and paid subscription plans with additional features.

Akismet Personal (Free)

Works for – Personal blogs and small sites. Limited to sites with under 50,000 comments.
Cost – Free to use.
Features – Blocks spam comments only. No advanced features.

Akismet Premium Plans

Works for – Business sites, publishers, larger blogs, etc. Unlimited comments.
Cost – Starts at $5 per month. Offers annual plans too.
Features – Detailed spam stats, whitelisting, priority support, no Automattic branding.

For personal blogs and smaller sites, the free plan is very capable for offering core anti-spam protection.

If you run a business site or larger publication with heavy traffic, one of the paid Premium plans is recommended for additional convenience, priority support, and detailed analytics.

But the core spam blocking capabilities are excellent even with the free Akismet plan.

Why is Akismet So Effective?

Akismet has been around since 2005, and has nearly two decades of expertise combating comment spam. But what makes it so effective?

There are a few key reasons:

Collective learning – Analyzes patterns across over 10 million sites to identify spam trends. The more sites, the smarter it gets.
Powerful algorithms – Uses machine learning and adaptive rules to match evolving tactics.
Constantly improving – The Automattic team releases frequent updates to counter new threats.
Tight WordPress integration – Made by same company behind WordPress, it integrates seamlessly. Unmatched for WordPress sites.
Industry leader – Dominant market share and constantly innovating to stay ahead of spam tactics.

Akismet stays on top of new spam tactics and techniques. The Automattic team works tirelessly to enhance it.

The algorithms automatically adapt to new threats emerging across the web. Your site benefits from the collective knowledge.

No other anti-spam plugin comes close to matching Akismet‘s sophistication and effectiveness for WordPress.

Why I Highly Recommend Using Akismet

In my 15+ years as a webmaster and WordPress expert, I‘ve seen many spam protection tools come and go.

None match the reliability, ease of use, and continuous innovation of Akismet.

I can‘t remember the last time I had to manually moderate spam comments after activating Akismet. It just works flawlessly.

As a developer, I also appreciate how thoughtfully designed the plugin is. Minimal performance impact, lightweight code, and solid engineering.

The time savings are invaluable. Moderating comments manually can easily take 30-60+ minutes daily on active sites.

Akismet eliminates this completely. It‘s an essential set-and-forget plugin for any WordPress site owner.

I can‘t recommend Akismet enough if you want to:

Save hours of time each week.
Keep your site spam-free effortlessly.
Focus on more important work rather than moderating spam.

Don‘t miss out on utilizing Akismet. It‘s a game-changer!

FAQs About Akismet Spam Filtering

Here are answers to some commonly asked questions about Akismet:

Does Akismet slow down my site?

No, Akismet has a minimal impact on site performance. The plugin is very lightweight and optimized. Most users don‘t notice any difference.

Can I use it on client sites?

Yes, absolutely! Akismet works seamlessly across any WordPress site. The free plan covers smaller sites and blogs.

What happens to blocked spam comments?

They are automatically moved to the Spam folder. You can review and delete them there.

Does Akismet work with all themes and plugins?

Yes, it is compatible with all major WordPress themes and plugins.

Can I use another captcha plugin along with Akismet?

Yes, but Akismet alone is sufficient in most cases. Captchas add friction for users.

Does Akismet eliminate ALL spam?

It catches over 95% of all spam. Occasionally some edge cases may slip through but at a negligible rate.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

Conclusion

I hope this guide has helped you understand what Akismet is, how it works to block comment spam, and why you should be using it on your WordPress site.

Here are some key takeaways:

Akismet uses advanced algorithms to identify and filter spam comments automatically in real-time.
It saves hours of manual moderation each week and keeps your site clean.
Extremely effective at catching even sophisticated spam with very few false positives.
Available as a free plugin on all WordPress sites, with premium plans for businesses.
Seamless setup and integration. Works silently in the background once activated.
Trusted by millions of WordPress sites worldwide because of the immense value it provides.

If you‘ve enjoyed this guide, let me know in the comments if you have any other questions! I‘m happy to help get you set up with Akismet.