Here are some ways you can combat spam with your WordPress site in general and specifically in Business Directory Plugin:
General WordPress Suggestions
- Make sure you use plugins like Akismet to cut down spam comments.
- Use spam registration prevention plugins, like Stop Spammers Plugin.
- Track the spammers for a bit and see if there's a pattern, like they all come from the same country. If so, use an IP blocker to kill all traffic from that country if it's irrelevant to your site. Plugins like LionScripts IP Blocker can help here.
Directory suggestions to combat spam
- Turn on Registration for listings (free listings attract more spam than registered ones).
- Make sure you use reCAPTCHA integration, as this helps cut down on bot (automatic) spam.
- Require admin approval for your listings to avoid spammers getting through without you moderating them.
Add comment spam filter
In addition to other spam protection, every new listing submission and every listing comment form goes through the comment blacklist checks in WordPress. This not only allows you to add custom terms to the comment blacklist but also allows several spam protection plugins to integrate without any extra effort.
To add words, IPs, or URLs to your blacklist, go to the WordPress Settings → Discussion page. Add values in the Disallowed Comment Keys box, following the WordPress instructions: One word or IP address per line. It will match inside words, so “press” will match “WordPress”.
When a listing submission or comment is determined to be spam, an error message appears and the user will not be able to proceed with submitting the listing.