How to use reCaptcha with Weglot?
What is reCaptcha and how does it work?
reCaptcha is a security measure that aims to protect your website from bot attacks.
It has evolved over time from reCaptchav1 to reCaptchav3. If you'd like more information about this evolution, you can consult this section.
The current iteration is reCaptchav3. reCaptcha analyzes the users' interactions and assigns a score to them. If the user's score is lower than a certain value, the user is considered to be a bot, and will then be blocked.
This score is stored in a reCaptcha session token that protects the user's session on its domain, temporarily enabling security once it's active.
The reCaptcha key is linked to a range of domains or subdomains. If used with these domains, the reCaptcha key will work successfully. On the other hand, if the reCaptcha key is used on a domain that is not linked to it, it won't work, and you will be blocked.
I am having issues with Weglot and reCaptcha
reCaptcha and Weglot integrations
reCaptcha is compatible with all Weglot integrations. In some cases, you may experience an issue while using the subdomain integration. That is because when you use subdomains, the domain of your translated version changes, which is not the case with WordPress, JavaScript, and subdirectory integrations.
In some cases, when reCaptcha receives a request coming from another domain than your original one, it blocks it, which causes the undesired behavior that you may be experiencing.
Here are possible solutions to ensure that reCaptcha works on your translated websites:
I am using Shopify
In the case that the CMS that you are using is Shopify, you can connect your Weglot subdomain(s) to your website.
To do this, you can connect to your Shopify Admin and go to the "Settings" section.
Then you can go to "Domains" > "Connect an existing domain" and add the Weglot subdomain(s) which will be *language_code*.mywebsite.com.
Afterward, you can go back to your website and test reCaptcha. It should be working.
If it still isn't working, please follow the guidelines in the next section ("I am using another CMS").
I am using another CMS
If you are using a CMS different from Shopify, here are some guidelines that you can follow to make reCaptcha work on your translated versions.
Please note that these solutions also work for Shopify. However, using the guide in the above section should also do the job.
Whitelist all your domains and subdomains in your reCaptcha account/manager. This will indicate to reCaptcha that the subdomain you are using is an authorized one and the request won't be blocked
Change your Weglot integration: as mentioned earlier, the problem is coming from the use of subdomains. If you use another integration, everything should work as expected.
Switch to the JavaScript integration
This is not a recommended action as it will negatively impact your multilingual SEO
Switch to the subdirectory-based integration
This is the recommended change as it will not affect your SEO. With this integration, you will have URLs like mywebsite.com/*language_code*/ instead of *language_code*.mywebsite.com.
We will have the possibility on our side to create redirections from your old subdomains to your new subdirectories.
If you choose to use this integration, please contact us at support@weglot.com, and we will send you the whole process to follow.
I cannot translate my reCaptcha
Weglot translates all the elements that are in your source code and that are not in an iframe.
These specific elements prevent any application on your website from accessing this content, which is why Weglot cannot access and translate it.
iframes are not really on your website. It is content generated in another domain and then displayed on your website.
reCaptchas are generated in an iframe, so Weglot isn't translating it by default.
Also, note that the default language of the reCaptcha is the language of the visitor's browser. That means it shouldn't be a problem if you don't have the reCaptcha translated by Weglot.