Spam is a huge issue with contact forms on WordPress or other CMS Operating backends – both the websites we design, and on a global scale. As the most popular free WordPress contact form plugin, Contact Form 7 is highly targeted by spammers. Spam contact form submissions can be a huge issue for WordPress websites with high traffic, receiving hundreds of spam emails each day. These are inconvenient and make it difficult to spot the genuine messages amongst the spam.

Comments can be a huge asset to your blog, and there are some fantastic plugins available to enhance the comments facility bult into WordPress itself. However, spam comments can make you want to disable comments on your blog completely, which would be a shame.

For example, one of our WordPress web design clients recently complained about the amount of spam they were receiving through their Contact Form 7 contact form. We tested a range of methods to find the best solution, which I will share with you now. And the best thing is, you don’t need to be a WordPress expert to use them.

Please note that I do NOT recommend that you implement all of the methods suggested in this article. A WordPress website should be kept as clean and minimal as possible behind the scenes, and you should not install unnecessary plugins. Instead, I recommend using trial and error to experiment with these solutions – whether you’re a WordPress expert or a novice. Track how much contact form spam you receive after implementing one or two methods, and make changes until you are happy.

Using Contact Form 7’s in-built anti-spam measures
You’ll find a lot of articles recommending CAPTCHA and quiz plugins that work with Contact Form 7. Most of these are unnecessary as it’s better to use the features already built into the Contact Form 7 WordPress plugin.

Bad Behavior
The Bad Behavior WordPress plugin uses advanced methods to block spammers from your WordPress website. While it isn’t specific to Contact Form 7, it combats spam more widely to prevent spammers from reaching your contact form. The recommendation is to use this plugin for WordPress websites with a spam problem, in conjunction with some of the other methods described in this article.

If you use this plugin then it’s particularly important to test the website after installing it. Some features, such as social login, may not work if certain elements of the Bad Behaviour plugin are activated. You may need to do some tweaking to get it right. However it can really help with Contact Form 7 spam and more general spam.

What worked for me
All WordPress websites receive spam in slightly different ways. What works for one website may not work for another.

When I had to stop Contact Form 7 spam on the WordPress website mentioned in this article, I immediately achieved a reduction in spam by using Akismet. The spam messages reduced from dozens per day to 5-10 per day.

I fixed the problem completely by combining Akismet with the Contact Form 7 Honeypot plugin, a quiz and minimum character count. If this hadn’t fixed the spam problem then I would have continued using trial and error to experiment with the other methods described in this article. You can do this whether you’re a WordPress expert or a beginner, and it can make a real difference to your contact form spam.