Akismet is a spam filtering service by Automattic, the same folks who develop WordPress. Learn more about stopping comment spam and how Akismet works.
This article describes how to:
- Obtain an Akismet API key
- Activate the Akismet plugin in your WordPress site
Obtain an Akismet API key
You must sign up for an Akismet account to obtain an API key. Go to www.akismet.com/signup/ in your web browser. Select a plan and follow the instructions on how to pay for your account.
If you would only like a free account, select the Personal plan ($0-$120/yr) and drag the yearly contribution slider to $0. Your screen should look like the image below.
Sign up for a free plan at Akismet.com
Once you’ve completed the signup process, login to your Akismet account. Under the Account Overview section, click Reveal to display your API key which looks like a string of numbers and letters. Highlight the API key and copy it.
Copy your API key
Now go back to your WordPress admin. If you haven’t already, activate the Akismet plugin. You’ll see the Akismet is almost ready message at the top of the screen.
Navigate to Plugins → Akismet Configuration. You’ll see the screen below.
Save the API key into the Akismet settings screen.
Paste the API key into the text field. You can also select the 2 checkboxes below if you like. Click Update options.
Congratulations, your site is now protected from comment spam by Akismet.