Balancing protection and conversion.
THE TRADE-OFF
Every CAPTCHA costs some legitimate submissions.
Difficult ones cost many.
WHAT TO PREFER
An invisible or low-friction option that scores behaviour rather than requiring a puzzle.
WHAT TO AVOID
Distorted text, which is difficult for everyone and impossible for some Puzzles requiring good vision Anything requiring several attempts
THE ACCESSIBILITY PROBLEM
Visual CAPTCHAs exclude people who cannot see them.
If you use one, ensure an alternative exists.
WHERE CAPTCHA IS JUSTIFIED
Forms receiving heavy spam despite other measures Registration forms Anything triggering an expensive action
WHERE IT IS NOT
A simple contact form where a honeypot suffices
THE THIRD-PARTY SCRIPT COST
CAPTCHA loads code from another server on every page carrying the form.
That affects speed.
WHAT TO MEASURE
Submissions before and after enabling it.
A large drop means it is costing you enquiries.
