Got spam? Use the free WordPress plugin, Akismet, to put a halt to your spam comment submissions.

Akismet come pre-packaged with every WordPress installation, but you’ll need an API key to get it working. To get a free API key and setup Akismet, simply follow these steps:

1. Go to WordPress.com/signup/ and sign-up for a free WordPress.com account—be sure to use the Username option, not the Blog Address option.
2. Note: if you already have a WordPress.com account, you can find your API key on your profile page—just click on the “My Account” link located at the top left of the screen.
3. Your API key will be in your welcome email from WordPress.com. Or, you can find it on your WordPress.com profile page.
4. Once you have your API key in hand, either email it to me (if I’m designing your WordPress website) or configure the plugin yourself.
5. Login to your WordPress Admin and go to Plugins. Activate the Akismet plugin.
6. You’ll be prompted to enter your API key. Paste it in the box and click on “Update options” and you’ll be set. You can also go to Plugins > Akismet Configuration.
7. To view your spam stats, click on the Akismet Stats link in the Dashboard section.

Voila! That’s it! No more pesky spam comments.

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