
Ever published a blog post, eagerly awaited feedback, and then…bam! A flood of spam, irrelevant chatter, or even outright negativity hits your comment section? It’s a common problem for WordPress users and can be incredibly frustrating.
That’s where comment moderation comes in. It’s the essential process of filtering and managing the comments posted on your WordPress site.
This tutorial will explain everything you should know about comment moderation in WordPress, even if you are a complete beginner.
We will go through the basic default features of WordPress for comment moderation and also touch on one plugin that helps you sort out this problem.
Let’s get started…
What Is Comment Moderation in WordPress?
Comment moderation is a built-in WordPress functionality that allows administrators to approve, edit, or delete any comment submitted by users on their blogs or discussions.
The primary purpose of comment moderation is to filter out unwanted content such as spam, offensive language, or comments that don’t contribute to the discussion.
Moderation can be configured in the WordPress dashboard under the “Discussion Settings.” Here, you can choose whether to hold all comments for manual approval, allow only comments from trusted users, or automatically flag certain types of comments for review.
Why You Should Moderate Comments on WordPress
Moderating comments is important to creating and maintaining an engaging online community. It maintains your website’s reputation and provides a better experience for your visitors. Without moderation, your site could become overrun with spam or harmful content.
- Spam comments, often generated by bots, can overwhelm your site with irrelevant or promotional messages. These comments not only clutter your site but can also degrade the user experience.
- Moderation helps filter out spam by identifying patterns or using tools like Akismet, a popular anti-spam plugin.
- A website’s comment section reflects its brand image. Moderation ensures that only constructive and relevant discussions are visible, helping your site maintain a professional and credible appearance.
- Some comments may contain harmful links, malware, or phishing attempts that could compromise your site’s security and endanger your visitors.
- Moderating comments allows you to identify and remove such threats before they can cause harm.
Spam comments are usually filled with harmful links, and they can negatively impact your SEO rankings and potentially threaten your website.
Moderating comments allows you to block such attempts before they can cause harm, keeping your site safe and well-optimized.
What Are Default WordPress Comment Moderation Settings
WordPress offers several default settings for comment moderation, allowing you to manage how and when comments appear on your site. These settings can help you control spam and ensure that only appropriate content is visible to your audience.
How to Set Up Comment Moderation in WordPress
Now we’ll take a look at 8 methods for managing and moderating comments on your WordPress site. Each method will help you maintain a clean, engaging, and safe comment section for your readers.
Method 1: Manually Moderating Comments
Manual moderation ensures you maintain control over the quality and relevance of comments on your site. It helps prevent spam and ensures that only valuable, constructive discussions are visible to your audience.
Take a look at the screenshot below:
- The first checkmark notifies any blogs linked to the post. This option is enabled when WordPress automatically attempts to send a notification (known as a pingback) to the blogs or websites you’ve linked to in your post.
- Similarly, the second checkmark allows link notifications from other blogs. By enabling this option, other websites can send you notifications when they link to your content.
- The third checkmark evaluates if visitors can leave comments on your new posts by default.
Method 2: Setting Comment Requirements, Cookies, and Other Preferences
Setting comment requirements, like requiring a name and email, improves comment authenticity and reduces spam. Customizing cookie settings also enhances user experience and ensures compliance with privacy regulations.
Under Other comment settings, options include requiring the comment author to provide a name and email before commenting and optionally requiring users to register and log in to comment.
There’s also an option to automatically close comments on posts older than a specified number of days.
Additionally, it allows enabling a cookie opt-in checkbox for comment authors and supports threaded (nested) comments, with a maximum of five levels of nesting.
In the Comment Pagination section, settings include breaking comments into pages for better readability, defining the number of top-level comments per page (set to 50), and choosing which comment page displays by default.
It also offers an option to display older or newer comments at the top of each page for better navigation. These settings help customize how comments are displayed and managed on WordPress posts.
Method 3: Controlling Email Notifications for Comments
Managing email notifications helps you stay informed about comment activity without being overwhelmed. It ensures you can quickly respond to important interactions while avoiding unnecessary alerts.
Scroll down to the section for Email me whenever.
- The first checkbox, when enabled, sends an email notification whenever anyone posts a comment on your site.
- The second checkbox ensures that the site administrator receives an email notification whenever a comment is held for moderation, allowing them to review, approve, or reject it.
Method 4: Managing Comment Moderation Queues
Using moderation queues allows you to review comments before they go live, ensuring that no harmful or irrelevant content slips through. This process protects your site’s reputation and fosters a positive community.
- Scroll to the “Before a comment appears” section.
- Select the checkbox labeled “Comment must be manually approved” if you want all comments to require approval before they appear on your site.
Under the “Comment Moderation” section, set criteria for holding comments in the moderation queue
- Number of Links: Spam comments often contain multiple links. Set this to a number you’re comfortable with.
- Keywords or Phrases: Add words, phrases, or IP addresses that should trigger moderation.
Method 5: Blocking Offensive or Abusive Comments
Automatically blocking offensive or abusive comments helps maintain a safe and welcoming environment for all users. It prevents harmful content from damaging your site’s reputation and discourages negative behavior.
In the same section as earlier, scroll down to the “Disallowed Comment Keys” section.
- Add terms that are outright unacceptable on your site. Comments containing these will be automatically marked as spam or discarded without moderation.
- Include the IP addresses of repeat offenders to block them from commenting altogether.
Method 6: Disabling Comments on Specific Posts
Disabling comments on certain posts allows you to control the flow of conversations, especially on outdated or sensitive content. This method prevents irrelevant discussions on posts that are no longer active or need to remain focused.
- On your WordPress dashboard, simply go to Posts > All Posts.
- Then, click the ‘Quick Edit’ button for any blog post.
- Next, simply uncheck the ‘Allow Comments‘ option.
- Then, click ‘Update.’
After following these steps, comments will no longer be enabled for that post, and users won’t be able to comment.
Method 7: Displaying Avatars in Comments
Avatars in WordPress are small images that represent users, often seen in the comments section, forums, or author profiles. These avatars are linked to a user’s Gravatar account,
WordPress uses Mystery Person as the default Gravatar when a comment author doesn’t have an image associated with their email address.
You can update user avatar display settings, set an age rating for avatars, and choose a default avatar for users without one, including options like Mystery Person, Gravatar Logo, or generated styles.
Method 8: Using Plugins to Filter Spam Comments
Spam-filtering plugins automate the process of blocking unwanted comments, saving you time and effort. They provide an additional layer of protection, ensuring that your comment section remains clean and free from malicious content.
- Go to your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Plugins > Add New.
- Search for “Antispam Bee.”
- Click Install Now and then Activate to enable the plugin.
After activation, you’ll need to configure the plugin to suit your needs:
- Go to Settings in your WordPress dashboard.
- You’ll find various options to customize how the plugin filters spam.
Antispam Bee filters spam using advanced techniques, such as IP address validation, spam database matching, and country-based comment blocking.
Additional features include time-based spam detection, trackback restriction, and the option to trust approved commenters, making it an effective solution for maintaining a clean and credible comment section.
Conclusion
Whether you choose to rely on WordPress’s built-in features or opt for more advanced plugins, the goal remains the same: to create a positive and engaging experience for your visitors.
A well-moderated comment section can be a valuable asset, driving traffic, building relationships, and enhancing the overall value of your blog.
So, take the time to set up your moderation settings, establish clear guidelines, and actively participate in the conversation. Your readers will thank you for it, and your blog will reap the rewards.
Inshal Ali
Inshal is a Content Marketer at Cloudways. With background in computer science, skill of content and a whole lot of creativity, he helps business reach the sky and go beyond through content that speaks the language of their customers. Apart from work, you will see him mostly in some online games or on a football field.