Setup Google reCAPTCHA

Protect your forms from spam and abuse with Google reCAPTCHA. This guide shows you how to set up reCAPTCHA v3 for your forms.

What is Google reCAPTCHA?

Google reCAPTCHA is a free service that protects your forms from spam and abuse. It uses advanced risk analysis techniques to tell humans and bots apart.

reCAPTCHA v3 Features

Invisible to users - No puzzles or challenges to solve
Score-based verification - Analyzes user behavior
No interruption - Smooth form submission experience
Free to use - No cost for most websites

Before You Start

Make sure you have:

A Google account
Access to your form builder settings
Your store domain ready

Step 1: Register Your Site

Go to Google reCAPTCHA

Visit Google reCAPTCHA Admin
Sign in with your Google account
Click + to create a new site

Fill in Site Information

Field	What to Enter
Label	Your store name (e.g., “My Shopify Store”)
reCAPTCHA type	reCAPTCHA v3
Domain	Your store domain (e.g., `mystore.myshopify.com`)

Add Required Domains

Enter these domains in the Domains section:

Your store domain: your-store.myshopify.com
Your custom domain (if any): www.yourstore.com
App domain: qivra-form-builder.com

Important: Add all domains where your forms will appear.

Accept Terms

Check “Accept the reCAPTCHA Terms of Service”
Optionally check “Send alerts to owners” for notifications
Click Submit

Step 2: Get Your Keys

After registration, you’ll see two keys:

Key	Description
Site Key	Public key used in the frontend
Secret Key	Private key used for verification

Copy Your Keys

Copy the Site Key (starts with 6L...)
Copy the Secret Key (starts with 6L...)
Keep these keys secure

Note: You can always find these keys later in the reCAPTCHA Admin console.

Step 3: Configure in Form Builder

Open Settings

Go to your form builder app
Navigate to Settings > Integrations
Find Google reCAPTCHA section

Enter Your Keys

Field	What to Enter
Site Key	Paste your Site Key from Google
Secret Key	Paste your Secret Key from Google

Enable reCAPTCHA

Toggle Enable reCAPTCHA to On
Click Save

Step 4: Enable for Forms

Per-Form Settings

Open a form in the Form Builder
Go to Settings > Spam Protection
Enable Use Google reCAPTCHA
Save the form

Global Settings

To enable for all forms:

Go to Settings > General
Find Default Spam Protection
Select Google reCAPTCHA
Save changes

Step 5: Test reCAPTCHA

Test on Storefront

Go to a page with your form
Open browser DevTools (F12)
Go to Console tab
Submit the form
Check for any reCAPTCHA errors

Verify in Google Console

Go to reCAPTCHA Admin
Click on your site
Go to Analytics tab
You should see requests appearing

Check Submission

Submit a test form
Go to Submissions page
Verify submission was recorded
Check for spam score (if available)

reCAPTCHA Settings

Score Threshold

reCAPTCHA v3 returns a score (0.0 - 1.0):

Score	Meaning	Action
1.0	Definitely human	Accept submission
0.5	Likely human	Default threshold
0.0	Definitely bot	Reject submission

Recommended: Keep default threshold (0.5) unless you have specific needs.

Adjusting Threshold

Go to Settings > Spam Protection
Find reCAPTCHA Score Threshold
Adjust the value:
- Lower (0.1-0.3): More strict, may block legitimate users
- Higher (0.7-0.9): More lenient, may let some spam through

Troubleshooting

”Invalid site key” Error

Cause	Solution
Wrong key copied	Re-copy from Google console
Key deleted	Create new site in Google
Typo in key	Check for extra spaces

”Domain mismatch” Error

Cause	Solution
Domain not registered	Add domain in Google console
Wrong domain format	Use domain without `https://`
Missing subdomain	Add both `www` and non-www

Form Not Submitting

Cause	Solution
JavaScript blocked	Check browser settings
Ad blocker	Disable for testing
Keys not saved	Re-save settings

Still Receiving Spam

If spam continues:

Lower the threshold
- Go to spam protection settings
- Decrease score threshold
Add honeypot field
- Enable in form settings
- Additional bot detection
Enable rate limiting
- Limit submissions per IP
- Prevent spam floods

Managing Multiple Sites

For Multiple Stores

If you have multiple stores:

Option A: Separate Keys
- Create new site for each store
- Use store-specific keys
Option B: Same Keys
- Add all domains to one site
- Use same keys everywhere

Adding New Domains

Go to reCAPTCHA Admin
Click on your site
Go to Settings
Add new domain
Save changes

Best Practices

Do’s

Keep Secret Key private
Test after setup
Monitor analytics regularly
Update domains when changing store URL

Don’ts

Don’t share Secret Key publicly
Don’t use keys from other sites
Don’t set threshold too low
Don’t ignore analytics

Privacy Considerations

User Data

Google reCAPTCHA collects:

User interaction data
Browser information
IP address

Compliance

For GDPR/privacy compliance:

Add reCAPTCHA to your privacy policy
Inform users about bot detection
Consider cookie consent implications

Privacy Policy Text

Add to your privacy policy:

“We use Google reCAPTCHA to protect our forms from spam and abuse. This service may collect user interaction data and browser information. See Google’s Privacy Policy for more information.”