The Website URL field in WordPress comments can lead to spammy backlinks when your site gains popularity. To prevent this, you can remove the URL field altogether. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you.
Step 1: Access the Theme Editor
Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
Navigate to Appearance → Theme File Editor.
Locate and open the functions.php file from the right-hand menu.
Step 2: Add the Code to Remove the URL Field
Insert the following code at the top of your functions.php file, just after the <?php opening tag:
add_filter('comment_form_default_fields', 'unset_url_field');
function unset_url_field($fields) {
if (isset($fields['url']))
unset($fields['url']);
return $fields;
}
Click the Update File button to save the changes.
This code removes the Website URL field from your WordPress comment section.
Why Remove the URL Field?
As your site grows in popularity and Domain Authority (DA), spammers often exploit the Website URL field to create backlinks to their own sites. Removing this field reduces unwanted spam comments.
What is Domain Authority (DA)?
Domain Authority is a metric used by SEOs to measure a website’s ranking potential on search engines. Higher DA sites are more likely to rank well, making them attractive targets for spam.
Stop Spam Comments with reCAPTCHA
If spam remains an issue, consider adding Google reCAPTCHA to your WordPress comments section.
The Website URL field in WordPress comments can lead to spammy backlinks when your site gains popularity. To prevent this, you can remove the URL field altogether. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you.
Step 1: Access the Theme Editor
functions.phpfile from the right-hand menu.Step 2: Add the Code to Remove the URL Field
functions.phpfile, just after the<?phpopening tag:This code removes the Website URL field from your WordPress comment section.
Why Remove the URL Field?
As your site grows in popularity and Domain Authority (DA), spammers often exploit the Website URL field to create backlinks to their own sites. Removing this field reduces unwanted spam comments.
What is Domain Authority (DA)?
Domain Authority is a metric used by SEOs to measure a website’s ranking potential on search engines. Higher DA sites are more likely to rank well, making them attractive targets for spam.
Stop Spam Comments with reCAPTCHA
If spam remains an issue, consider adding Google reCAPTCHA to your WordPress comments section.
How to Install reCAPTCHA on WordPress
Step 1: Install the Plugin
Advanced Google reCAPTCHA.Step 2: Set Up reCAPTCHA API Keys