Howdy, great question. Akismet’s default settings work well for most sites, so you’re in good shape right out of the box. That said, here are a few things worth a quick look:
- Confirm your API key is verified — Go to Settings → Akismet Anti-spam and make sure it shows as connected.
- Leave “Silently discard” unchecked for now — This lets you see everything Akismet catches while you’re getting started. You can turn it on later once you’re confident in the filtering.
- Consider the privacy notice — If your site has visitors from the EU or you want to be transparent about spam filtering, enable the privacy notice option.
- Check your spam folder in a few days — Go to Comments → Spam to see what Akismet is catching. If you spot any real comments there, click “Not Spam” to rescue them and help Akismet learn.
That’s it! Akismet handles the heavy lifting from here.
