There is no doubt that spam is one of the most annoying things that exist online and this is perhaps why so many webmasters main complaint is that they receive so much spam. But, the reality is that everyone online receives spam. It is the junk mail of the internet. It shows up without being wanted, you throw it in the recycle bin and then you move on with your day.
Unfortunately, it is an inherent part of the internet and having a website, blog or social profile. No matter what company designs your website, what hosting company is used to host your site, and no matter what how your site is structured, you will get spam. Just look at how spam is now creeping up on social media sites through fake accounts and random direct messages. Spam evolves as technology evolves.
Why do you get spam?
There are a number of reasons why you receive spam. Some of it is targeted and some is random. Here are some of the main reasons why you wake up every day with spam in your inbox:
- Link Building: Competing sites use commenting to build backlinks. Every read the comment section of a blog post and see those gibberish comments. That’s a poor attempt at link building.
- Attacks: Hackers use it attack websites – They create bots that test your security and see if you are a potential target. So, make sure your sites security is up to date.
- Email sign-ups: You signed up for a newsletter, mailing list or program online. Make sure you read the fine print and understand what these companies are doing with your information once you give them your email address.
What can you do?
If you want to avoid spam on your website and in your email inbox you need to manage it properly by:
- Adjusting your email filters
- Using comment moderation on your blog
- Disallowing anonymous posts – require and email and user name to comment
- Use CAPTCHAs and other ways to prevent automated programs from leaving comments
- Make sure that your email and website’s security is up to date
It is never too late to combat spam and making a few adjustments to how you protect against spam can go a long way to minimizing how much you will receive on your website.