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
The first step is to get a WordPress key from Akismet. Visit www.akismet.com/plans/ in your web browser. If you’re signing up for a personal blog, choose the Basic plan. Otherwise, do consider a Plus plan.
Select a plan and you’ll be prompted to signup for Akismet with a WordPress.com account.
If you have one, click the link at the top of the page that says “I already have a WordPress.com account!” Otherwise, signup for a WordPress.com account to use Akismet. Look for registration confirmation emails from wordpress.com and follow the instructions to activate your account for Akismet.
If you selected the Basic plan and you would only like a free account, drag the slider on the Name your price screen to $0, then click the Create Subscription button.
Once you’ve completed the signup process, return to the Akismet dashboard. Find your API Key and copy it.
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 Settings → Akismet. Paste the API key from above into the field and click the Use this key button.
Congratulations, your site is now protected from comment spam by Akismet.
