Why You Should Be Retiring CAPTCHAs to Improve Your Conversion Rate

We’ve all seen them, and most of us have been frustrated by them at one point or another. CAPTCHAs, those squiggly lines of text that you have to enter before you can submit a form or leave a comment, are designed to stop bots from spamming websites. But they can also be a major barrier to conversion, especially for mobile users.

A study by Google found that as many as 30% of users will abandon a task if they have to fill out a CAPTCHA. That’s a significant number, and it’s only going to get higher as mobile usage continues to grow.

Google’s own CAPTCHA, reCAPTCHA, is particularly difficult to use on a mobile device. The text is often too small to read, and the user has to complete a series of difficult tasks, like selecting all the images that contain a bus, before they can proceed.

Other CAPTCHA vendors have better mobile solutions, but they’re still not perfect. For example, the popular CAPTCHA service Solve Media requires users to watch a short video and type in the letters that appear on the screen. This can be challenging for users with disabilities or low vision.

How Do CAPTCHAs Kill Your Conversion Rate?

There are a few reasons why a CAPTCHA can be such a barrier to conversion:

• It’s intrusive. CAPTCHA interrupts the user’s flow and forces them to complete a task before they can continue. This can be frustrating, especially if the user is just trying to leave a quick comment or sign up for a newsletter.
• It’s confusing. Many users don’t know what a CAPTCHA is or how to use it. This can lead to frustration and abandonment.
• It’s difficult to use. As we mentioned, some CAPTCHA services are difficult to use, even for people without disabilities. This can be a major problem for mobile users, who are already struggling to fill out forms on small screens.
• It’s a barrier to entry. CAPTCHAs can be a major barrier to entry for new users, who may not know how to use it or may be put off by the difficulty. This can hurt your conversion rate and prevent you from reaching new audiences.

They Could Prove More Trouble Than They’re Worth

CAPTCHAs may be effective at stopping bots, but they could do more harm than good. If you’re worried about the conversion rates, it may be time to retire CAPTCHA and look for a better solution.

They have a direct effect on the conversion rates as well as the user experience. Any user who has difficulty understanding or using the CAPTCHA will likely abandon the task, which can hurt your conversion rate.

They’re also a barrier to entry for new users. If someone is new to your site and they can’t figure out how to use a CAPTCHA, they’re not likely to stick around. This can prevent you from reaching new audiences and growing your business.

They Distract the People

CAPTCHAs are also a major distraction for people with disabilities. If you have a form that requires a CAPTCHA, you’re likely to lose a significant portion of your audience.

People with disabilities are already at a disadvantage when it comes to using the internet. They have to contend with a wide variety of barriers, including inaccessible websites, poorly designed forms, and difficult-to-use CAPTCHAs.

By removing the CAPTCHA, you can make your site more accessible and user-friendly. This will help you reach a wider audience and improve your conversion rate.

They Have No Meaningful Content

Another problem with CAPTCHAs is that they often have no meaningful content. Most of them are just letters and numbers randomly combined, leaving the visitors with very few clues as to whether they got it right or wrong before submitting the form. There is also the risk of the visitors mistyping the characters given in the CAPTCHA as it has to be the exact match. It does happen on several occasions even though the visitors get it right.

This can be frustrating for users, who may feel like they’re being tricked or that they’re not intelligent enough to figure out the CAPTCHA. This can lead to frustration and abandonment.

How a CAPTCHA Affects SEO?

They can have a negative effect on your SEO as well. If you’re using a CAPTCHA on your forms, it’s likely that you’re also using it in your comments. This can prevent people from leaving comments on your blog, which can hurt your SEO.

CAPTCHA can also hurt your SEO in other ways. If you’re using a CAPTCHA service that is difficult to use, you may be losing valuable traffic. This can hurt your ranking in the search engines and make it harder for people to find your site.

Moreover, if you’re using a CAPTCHA that is difficult to read, you may be preventing people from accessing your site. This can lead to a lower ranking in the search engines and make it harder for people to find your site.

According to a post on Moz.com by Casey Henry, conversion rates can shoot up by 3.2% with the CAPTCHA turned off.

If you’re worried about your conversion rate, it may be time to retire CAPTCHA and look for a better solution.

What Are the Alternatives to CAPTCHA?

There are a few alternatives to CAPTCHA that you can consider.

1. Honeypot Method

Honeypot is a method of protecting forms from spam bots by using a hidden field. The hidden field is not visible to humans, but it is visible to bots. When a bot fills out the form, it will also fill out the hidden field. This will trigger a validation error, and the form will be rejected.

Bots tend to fill out everything, so they’ll usually fill out the hidden field as well. This will cause the form to be rejected, and the spam bot will be thwarted.

2. Simple Mathematical Questions

You can also protect your forms from spam bots by asking simple mathematical questions. For example, you could ask the visitor to solve a simple equation, such as 2+2.

This method is effective because it’s very difficult for bots to solve equations. They can usually only fill out fields that are visible to them.

3. Invisible reCAPTCHA

Invisible reCAPTCHA is a Google service that can be used to protect forms from spam bots. It works by using a small piece of code that is added to the form. When the form is submitted, the code will run a check to see if the user is a human or a bot.

This method is effective because it’s very difficult for bots to pass the check. They can usually only fill out fields that are visible to them.

4. Secret Timers

You can also use secret timers to protect your forms from spam bots. This method works by adding a small piece of code to the form that will start a timer when the form is loaded. When the form is submitted, the code will check to see if the timer has expired.

If the timer has expired, the form will be rejected. This method is effective because it’s very difficult for bots to accurately fill out the form in the time allotted. They can usually only fill out fields that are visible to them.

5. CAPTCHA Bypass

CAPTCHA bypass is a method of using a CAPTCHA to protect your forms from spam bots but allowing humans to bypass the CAPTCHA. This can be done by using a CAPTCHA that is easy to read for humans but difficult for bots.

For example, you could use a CAPTCHA with a series of numbers and letters that are easy for humans to read but difficult for bots. This method is effective because it’s very difficult for bots to accurately fill out the form but easy for humans.

6. Honeypot Method With JavaScript

You can also combine the honeypot method with JavaScript to create a more effective solution. This method works by adding a small piece of code to the form. When the form is submitted, the code will check to see if the honeypot field has been filled out. If it has, the form will be rejected.

This method is effective because it’s very difficult for bots to pass the check. They can usually only fill out fields that are visible to them.

7. Use a Plugin

If you’re using WordPress, there are a few plugins that can help you protect your forms from spam bots. One of the most popular is theWPForms plugin.

This plugin works by adding a small piece of code to the form. When the form is submitted, the code will check to see if the user is a human or a bot. If it’s a bot, the form will be rejected.

8. Use a Service

If you don’t want to use a plugin, you can also use a service like Typeform. Typeform is a service that allows you to create forms and surveys. It has a built-in spam protection system that will help you protect your forms from spam bots.

There are a few other services that offer similar features, like Wufoo and Google Forms.

9. Human Intelligence Test

You can also use a human intelligence test to protect your forms from spam bots. This method works by adding a small piece of code to the form. When the form is submitted, the code will check to see if the user is a human or a bot.

Since AI is incapable of thinking creatively, this test is very effective at stopping bots. The downside is that it can also be difficult for humans to pass, so you’ll need to find a balance that works for you.

Some examples include:

• Asking the user to identify an object in a picture
• Asking the user to answer a question that only a human would know
• Asking the user to solve a simple math problem

10. Gesture Commands

You can also use gesture commands to protect your forms from spam bots. Most bots are unable to understand and interact with things like sliders and gesture-controlled tests. Thus, adding a gesture-controlled test to your form will make it very difficult for bots to pass.

For instance, you could ask the user to slide a slider to the right to submit the form. Or, you could ask the user to tap on a certain number of items in a picture. This method is effective because it’s very difficult for bots to accurately fill out the form.

Improve Your Conversion Rate

There are a number of ways to improve your conversion rate. By using one or more of the methods listed above, you can keep your forms safe from spam bots and improve your conversion rate.

If you’re looking for more ways to improve your conversion rate, check out our conversion optimization services. Our team of experts can help you improve your website and increase your conversion rate. Contact us today to learn more.