How to Deal with Comment Spam on Your TPT Blog

As a TPT (Teachers Pay Teachers) seller, you might have encountered the frustrating issue of comment spam on your TPT blog.

Comment spam is inevitable. Here are some things I suggest for TPT Sellers.

The Problem of Comment Spam on your TPT blog

Comment spam can be overwhelming, especially when it floods your blog in various languages, accompanied by distracting notifications.

Not only does it consume your time, but it can also detract from the overall quality and appearance of your blog.

As TPT Sellers, there’s never enough time to create new TPT products and optimize our TPT product descriptions, let alone deal with TPT blog comment spam.

So, the solution is simple. Turn off the comments on your TPT blog.

Watch the video on YouTube: How To Avoid Comment Spam On Your TPT Blog Right Now! WordPress Blog Q&A E14

Step 1. Turn Off Comments Completely:

One effective way to handle comment spam is to disable comments on your blog. While this might seem drastic, it saves you the time and effort of manually sorting through spam comments.

Step 2. Bulk Delete Spam Comments:

If you already have a backlog of spam comments, use the bulk delete feature in WordPress. This allows you to efficiently clear out all spam comments at once.

Step 3. Adjust WordPress Settings

In your WordPress settings, under the ‘Discussion’ section, change the default settings to ensure that:

• All comments must be manually approved.
• Comments on older posts are automatically closed.
• New comments are not allowed on new posts.

Step 4. Redirecting Comments to your TPT store

Instead of using the blog for comments, direct your audience to leave comments on your TPT store page.

This not only centralizes your interactions but also keeps them relevant to your products.

Step 5. Enhancing User Experience

It’s important to consider how these changes affect genuine users who wish to contact you. To facilitate this:

• Create an ‘About Us’ Page: Include an ‘About Us’ page on your blog where users can learn more about you and find alternate ways to contact you, such as through your TPT store or email.
• Simplify the Contact Process: Make the process of contacting you straightforward. Provide clear links to your TPT store’s Q&A section and your email address.
• Keep Your Blog User-Friendly: Ensure that navigation on your blog remains user-friendly. Add a contact option in your blog’s menu and ensure that users can easily find the way to reach out to you.

Option 2: Install an anti spam plugin

PS: If you really want to keep comments on your TPT blog turned on, you might consider using Akismet.

Akismet is a free plugin that you can install on your TPT blog. However you need an API key to activate the anti-spam filter .

I’m not a lawyer; the following is not legal advice. Consult a lawyer to make your own determination.

Although Akismet does offer free API keys, a TPT blog would not likely be eligible (unless it was purely a teacher blog talking about educational pedagogy and not leading to your TPT products.)

Here’s what Akismet says about whether you should choose between a free or paid subscription:

Free keys are for personal, non‑commercial sites only — no exceptions.

If your site has advertising or affiliate links, sells products or services, solicits donations or sponsorships, or is in any way related to a for‑profit business or educational organization — your site is considered commercial.

Noncompliance with these terms will result in immediate suspension of services without notice.

Source: Akismet.com