How to Add CAPTCHA to Protect Your WordPress Site From Bots?

Bots can overwhelm your website and expose it to many security concerns.

Even though the world is full of hackers who are now relying on automated tools, thankfully, there is one way to keep the bots away: CAPTCHA.

Using a CAPTCHA on your WordPress website is a highly effective, low-effort activity that will keep the bots out while letting real users in.

In this guide, you will learn about the types of CAPTCHA and how to add one to your website. You will also find some information on the best CAPTCHA plugins, as well as how you can go beyond CAPTCHAs for site-wide security.

Overview

CAPTCHA is an acronym for the Completely Automated Public Turing Test to Tell Computers and Humans Apart. It is a measure of security that helps in blocking bots and spammers from accessing your site.

CAPTCHA asks the user to perform certain actions that are easy for humans but pretty hard for bots – like reading distorted text, selecting images containing a particular object, or checkbox selection.

By installing CAPTCHA on your WordPress site, you can be sure that only real users can post content in areas prone to spam and malicious bots, such as login pages, comment forms, and registration forms.

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Types of CAPTCHA

There are different types of CAPTCHA, and all of them offer different levels of security and user experience. Let’s explore the most common ones:

Text-based CAPTCHA

The text-based CAPTCHA is the traditional one you’ve probably seen many times now. It requires users to type distorted characters shown in an image.

Source: ResearchGate

Image-based CAPTCHA

Image-based CAPTCHA shows a grid of images and asks users to select images that match a specific thing, such as “Select all images with traffic lights.”

Google’s reCAPTCHA is one of the most common examples of image-based CAPTCHA.

Source: ResearchGate

Invisible CAPTCHA

Invisible CAPTCHA works in the background and only tests the users if some form of illicit activity is suspected. It needs little or no input from the end users.

Math CAPTCHA

Math CAPTCHA requires users to select the correct answer to a basic math question, such as “what’s 3 + 7?”

Source: ResearchGate

Social Media CAPTCHA

As the name suggests, this CAPTCHA uses users’ social media accounts to verify that they are human and not a bot.

💡Google reCAPTCHA

CAPTCHAs are secure. However, they can be inconvenient for users because they could slow them down. They can also likely delay users with dyslexia or any other disabilities that stop them from comfortably navigating online (like visual impairment).

In 2014, Google introduced the No CAPTCHA reCAPTCHA, in which a user only has to tick a box to demonstrate that they are not a bot. This new version was faster, easier, less complicated, and more user-friendly.

Later in 2018, Google enhanced it even further with an invisible CAPTCHA, which allows bots to be easily detected without the user performing any task.

If you are considering implementing CAPTCHA on your WordPress website, the best option is Google reCAPTCHA v2 or v3.

How to Set Up Captcha On Your WordPress Site?

Follow these four easy steps to secure your site from bots and spam by integrating CAPTCHA.

Step 1: Install a CAPTCHA Plugin on Your WordPress Site

The first step to get a CAPTCHA is to install a WordPress CAPTCHA plugin.

The challenge is that there are many plugins from which you can choose. In the next section of this blog, I have covered the best WordPress CAPTCHA plugins based on their features and ratings. You can choose from among those options or similar ones you find online.

For this tutorial, I will use Advanced Google reCAPTCHA.

How to Install the WordPress CAPTCHA Plugin:

• Open your WordPress dashboard.
• On the left panel, go to Plugins > Add New.
• Type the name of the plugin you want in the search bar.
• Click Install Now.

• Then click Activate.

Step 2: Generate Google reCAPTCHA Keys for Your Site

To integrate Google reCAPTCHA on the site, you first need Google’s API keys. These keys help confirm the authenticity of your website and guarantee that the CAPTCHA is working properly.

It is very easy to get them.

Here’s how:

• Go to the Google reCAPTCHA website.
• Click on Admin Console (you’ll need to sign in with your Google account).

• On the reCAPTCHA admin page, click + (plus) under “Domains” to register a new site.
• Choose which version of reCAPTCHA you want to use:
• • reCAPTCHA v2: The classic “I’m not a robot” checkbox.
  • reCAPTCHA v3: Invisible CAPTCHA that runs in the background without requiring user interaction.
• Enter your site’s domain name in the Domains field and select the appropriate CAPTCHA version.

💡 Labels are helpful when you manage multiple websites. Add a short label (under 50 characters) so you can easily and quickly identify your sites when needed.

• Agree to the terms of service and click Submit.

Google will provide you with two keys:

• Site Key (public key)
• Secret Key (private key)

Make sure to copy both keys, as you’ll need them in the next step.

Step 3: Enter Your Google reCAPTCHA Keys into the Plugin

Once you have an API key or two, it’s time to link those up to your CAPTCHA plugin of choice.

Here’s how to do it:

• On your WordPress control panel, go to the settings of the CAPTCHA plugin that you downloaded.

• In the plugin setting, paste the Site Key and Secret Key that you obtained from Google.

➕ Don’t forget to select the CAPTCHA version. Once you do that, the Site Key options will appear. I have selected v3 for this tutorial, which means my users will not see a checkbox since it is invisible CAPTCHA.

• When you are through, click on the button labeled Verify Captcha.
• Then click Submit Captcha to verify it.

• Next, click Save Changes, and you’re done with the third step.

The plugin will be integrated with Google reCAPTCHA and is set to go and help protect your website from bots.

Step 4: Choose Which Sections to Protect with CAPTCHAs

Time to customize.

The last thing that needs to be determined is where CAPTCHA should be placed on your site. You can choose to protect various areas that are most vulnerable to bot attacks, like:

• Login Page
• Comment Forms
• Contact Forms

For each section, all that is needed to do is turn on protection options in your plugin settings.

Testing WordPress CAPTCHA On Your Site

After setting the CAPTCHA up, you need to check the system to know whether everything is working fine.

This is so you can confirm that the CAPTCHA check is well placed in the sections that you have applied (such as the login page or the comment section).

To test, simply go to the page where you enabled the CAPTCHA.

If you have selected reCAPTCHA v2, you should probably try to check the box ‘I am not a robot’. 

If you have enabled v3, there will be no checkbox, but you can still test by navigating through the website and observing the actions of the hidden invisible CAPTCHA.

Best WordPress CAPTCHA Plugins to Fight Bots

The best CAPTCHA plugins for WordPress sites are easily integrated and have multiple support options (image/audio, v2, and v3).

Make sure the plugin you pick also accurately detects bots without slowing down your WordPress website.

1. Advanced Google reCAPTCHA

Source: WordPress.org

Advanced Google reCAPTCHA is a good option for people who want flexibility and generous customization options. It can easily add Google reCAPTCHA and other CAPTCHA tests to your WordPress site.

Key Features

• Supports both reCAPTCHA v2 (checkbox) and v3 (invisible)
• Options to enable reCAPTCHA in multiple areas
• Advanced customization to control where reCAPTCHA appears
• Ability to hide reCAPTCHA for logged-in users

Ratings

Advanced Google reCAPTCHA has a rating of 4.9 based on 414 reviews on wordpress.org.

Pricing

This is a freemium plugin. If you choose to upgrade, the pricing starts at $49/year.

2. reCaptcha by BestWebSoft

Source: WordPress.org

reCaptcha by BestWebSoft is another easy-to-use plugin that enables you to add Google reCAPTCHA to several sections of your website. Even if you don’t know much about computers and technical stuff, you can still install and use this plugin to start securing your website right away.

Key Features:

• Option to enable or disable reCAPTCHA for specific forms
• Ability to hide reCAPTCHA for logged-in users for smoother access
• You can add custom code via the plugin settings page
• Multilingual and RTL-ready

Ratings

reCaptcha by BestWebSoft has a rating of 4.0 based on 388 reviews on wordpress.org.

Pricing

The price starts at $24/year per domain.

3. Login No CAPTCHA reCAPTCHA

Source: WordPress.org

Login No CAPTCHA reCAPTCHA is a basic and easy-to-install plugin that uses Google reCAPTCHA to secure your login page from brute force attacks. The good thing is that it doesn’t slow your website down.

Key Features

• reCAPTCHA protection for login pages
• Quick setup with minimal configuration
• Compatible with reCAPTCHA v2 (checkbox CAPTCHA)
• Lightweight

Ratings

It has a rating of 4.5 based on 61 reviews on wordPress.org.

Pricing

It is completely free.

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How Cloudways Offer Bot Protection?

There is more to web security than blocking bots from your site. CAPTCHA plugins are really useful for filtering simple spam form submissions, but they don’t work well for more advanced bot protection.

But you know what does?

Server-level firewall!

Cloudways has integrated Imunify360’s server-level firewall across all Cloudways Flexible servers—-that too for free.

This feature helps monitor and block malicious traffic from affecting your server resources. Unlike most WordPress security plugins, which work on the application level and thus take up site resources by scanning traffic once it hits your sites, our solution (powered by Imunify360) operates on the server level.

This provides better and more efficient protection across all your websites without compromising performance.

Additionally, plugins can be costly. With Imunify360 bot protection included for free, choosing Cloudways Flexible is a no-brainer.

For more holistic security, real-time monitoring, and malware removal, Cloudways users can get the malware protection add-on for $4/month per application.

Final Thoughts

By following the steps in this guide, you will be well-equipped to add CAPTCHAs to your WordPress site.

Setting up CAPTCHA is one of the easiest and most efficient methods of protecting your site from bots and spam. With the right plugin, it only takes a few minutes.

You can protect the critical sections of your website, such as the login, comment, and registration sections while maintaining user experience.

For site owners who want bot protection for free, Cloudways Flexible is the best solution. No need to flip any toggles. It is already enabled by default.