If you’ve filled out a form online, you probably had to complete a CAPTCHA.
What’s a CAPTCHA?
A CAPTCHA is a type of challenge-response test used to determine whether or not the user is human. You see them quite frequently at the bottom of web forms.
CAPTCHA actually stands for “Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart.”
Why’s it important?
A CAPTCHA helps protect your site from spam and abuse.
This includes preventing bogus comments on your blog, fraudulent purchases on your store, or fake registration submissions.
If your site has a form without a CAPTCHA (or some method of preventing automatic submissions), you’ll probably receive a lot of SPAM submissions. This isn’t just annoying. It can cause a lot of issues depending on the type of abuse you’re experiencing. You could face consequences like:
- Higher Transaction Fees and/or Rates
- Stricter Security Protocols for Your Account
- Potential Account Termination or Suspension
What types are there?
There are many variations of CAPTCHAs available, but they all work well against bots.
Each can present a different puzzle for your user or site visitor to solve. These are some of the most common options:
- Text-based
- Mathematical
- Image-based
- Logic-based
- 3D
- Commercial
- reCAPTCHA
How do I get one?
We can include it for you.
Back40 uses Google’s reCAPTCHA. It’s one of the most advanced options available. Plus, it’s free and easy to use – there’s no added cost to you to have one included.
Here’s a short video from Google Webmasters about the advances reCAPTCHA has made to help keep your site safe from bots.
