Spam submissions on affiliate registration forms can be a nuisance, affecting your ability to effectively manage affiliates and reducing data reliability.
Here’s a guide on how to effectively prevent bots and spam from flooding your forms, covering CAPTCHA implementation, security plugins, Cloudflare’s WAF, and IP blocking techniques.
1. Adding CAPTCHA to Your Form
Adding a CAPTCHA is one of the most reliable methods for keeping bots away.
The Coupon Affiliates plugin supports both Cloudflare Turnstile and Google reCAPTCHA.
1) Choose a CAPTCHA Service:
- For Cloudflare Turnstile, log in to your Cloudflare account, go to the Turnstile page, add new site, and create the required keys.
- For Google reCAPTCHA, visit the Google reCAPTCHA Admin page to generate API keys.
We recommend using Turnstile is for its focus on user privacy, and it is generally more effective in spam prevention.
2) Generate API Keys and add them to the Coupon Affiliates plugin.
- Navigate to the “Registrations” settings tab in the plugin.
- Under the “Form CAPTCHA” section, input the generated API keys.
This additional verification step ensures your affiliate registrations come from real users, not automated bots.
2. Use a Security Plugin
A well-configured security plugin provides extra layers of protection for your WordPress site.
Here are some recommended plugins:
- Wordfence: Wordfence offers an array of tools including firewall protection, malware scanning, and spam prevention features. It can block bots from accessing your site and attempting multiple login or registration attempts.
- Sucuri: Sucuri focuses on website security, protecting against threats like brute force attacks and helping with spam management through its firewall features.
These plugins not only help block spam submissions on your affiliate forms but also protect your overall site from threats.
3. Enable a Cloud Web Application Firewall (WAF)
Using a cloud-based WAF is another efficient way to reduce spam.
Cloudflare offers a free WAF plan that helps manage bot traffic: https://www.cloudflare.com/waf/
The firewall works by filtering malicious traffic before it reaches your website. Features include:
- Bot Filtering: Known bot traffic is blocked before they interact with your site.
- DDoS Protection: Prevents Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, keeping your website and affiliate forms safe from sudden floods of bot submissions.
Using Cloudflare not only prevents spam registrations but also improves the speed and security of your entire website.
4. Limit and Block IP Addresses
Blocking or limiting suspicious IP addresses is another effective method of reducing spam registrations.
Here’s how you can do it:
- Manual IP Blocking: Regularly check WordPress logs or a plugin like WP Activity Log to identify repeated spam IP addresses. You can then block these IPs using a security plugin or through your hosting provider.
- IP Rate Limiting: Plugins like Wordfence or through your hosting provider can help limit the number of submission attempts from a single IP address. This prevents repeated registration attempts by bots.
- Geo-blocking: If spam primarily originates from specific countries, consider implementing geo-blocking rules using Cloudflare or a security plugin.
Blocking and limiting IPs allows you to control access effectively and filter out potential spammers before they can reach your forms.
Conclusion
Preventing spam on your affiliate registration forms ensures you spend time managing real affiliates rather than cleaning up after bots.
By combining methods like adding CAPTCHA, using a security plugin like Wordfence or Sucuri, enabling Cloudflare’s free WAF, and strategically blocking IP addresses, you can build a robust system that protects your affiliate program.
Implementing these tactics will save you time, keep your database clean, and allow you to focus on growing your business without unnecessary distractions from spam.
