What is reCAPTCHA?
A CAPTCHA is a system designed to distinguish real users from automated systems and bots, and is typically used on websites to prevent spam from form submissions. It's sometimes referred to as "recapture", "capture", or "captcha".
reCAPTCHA is a free service from Google that protects your website from spam and abuse. It uses an advanced risk analysis engine and adaptive challenges to keep automated software from engaging in abusive activities on your site. It does this while letting your valid users pass through with ease.
What's covered in this article
How do I set it up?
If your website is already using reCAPTCHA for form submissions, you will need to enter the same keys in the CRM configuration page. You will need to ensure you are using reCAPTCHA v3.
If you don't already have reCAPTCHA set up, please follow the guide below.
Step 1: Visit Google's reCAPTCHA Page
Head to Google's reCAPTCHA page here.
Step 2: Register a New Site
Complete each step on the page using the guide below.
Label: A title of your site, typically the URL.
reCAPTCHA type: Make sure you select the right option here based on what you're setting up reCAPTCHA for:
To set this up for CRM Enquiry Web Forms, select 'reCAPTCHA v3'
To set this up for the CMS, select 'reCAPTCHA v2'
Domains: Type in your website domain and click the plus icon to add them. This must match the one you're putting the form on, otherwise it won't pass the reCAPTCHA.
Owner: This will default to the Google account setting this up, but you can add additional email addresses if you want to receive alerts to them.
Read the reCAPTCHA Terms of Service, and if you agree, tick the box to 'Accept the reCAPTCHA Terms of Service' and then press 'Submit'.
This will then give you the API and Secret Key to be used within the CRM or on your CMS plug-in.
Please make a note of these keys or store them somewhere secure, as once you close this page you cannot easily re-retrieve the keys.
Step 3: Copy Keys from Console Settings
Within the Settings (head to the cog icon in the Console).
Use the drop-down next to 'reCAPTCHA keys' to reveal two keys.
Copy both the Site Key and Secret Key, one at a time.
Pasting Keys into the CRM
You can paste your keys into the CRM either via the Settings Centre, or within the Enquiry Form settings itself.
Option #1: Add via Settings Centre
Head to the Settings Centre and System Settings within the navigation menu. In the search, type in 'reCAPTCHA' and hit enter. Simply paste your Site Key and Secret Key in one at a time and hit 'Save'.
Option #2: Add to Enquiry Form
Alternatively, if you've already created an Enquiry Form, you can paste the keys into the Settings from there. Simply select 'Configure reCAPTCHA', then paste the keys in accordingly and click 'Save'.
Pasting Keys into the CMS
Open the CMS Editor in a new tab or window, and navigate to your Registration page.
Once you've located the page, click the 'Edit' button on the Page ribbon across the top, then click the 'Edit' button on the Registration Plug-In:
With the plug-in settings open, scroll down to Anti Spam Measures and select the anti-spam measure you wish to use.
reCAPTCHA is a required system, but you can also enable Email Opt-In as well. This will send the customer an email requiring them to validate their email address once they've registered before they're able to log in.
Add in the Google reCAPTCHA keys, then press 'Save'.
Once saved, follow the steps here under 'Previewing your Changes' and 'Publishing your Changes to Live' to test this and make it live once you're happy it's working correctly.