Recaptcha images are supposed to be an easy way for web sites to verify that humans, not computer programs are using their online services. Most sites that implement Recaptcha do so for forms processing to ensure the ones filling out a form are actual human beings. It also protects web services from being used by automated computer programs to copy more of your work, or put an excess burden of traffic on your website. It was a good concept, but the implementation of the Recaptcha system may prevent your potential customers from using that service as well.

In an effort to prevent computer programs from viewing the text (OCR), Recaptcha warps the letters and places what can only be called doohickeys over the text that our eyes can overcome, but prevents computers from reading it. As OCR processing improves, Recaptcha images have become more unreadable over the years, even to the human eye (or just my ageing eyes). Illegible text makes it more difficult for people to use. The audio feature does not work, limiting the people who can use your online services to only sight-capable visitors. It all boils down to:

Any barriers to communication will reduce the amount of participation you are looking to have on the site.

There has been a trend of using alternatives to Recaptcha to find a balance between making it easier for both submitters and responders to perform their functions. Your website developer can use a combination of the following three methods to ensure that humans are submitting your form data, while still making the exercise comfortable for them:

1. Use a CSS style to hide an empty field. When you process the form and there is data in this field, a bot filled it out, so you can discard it. (Bots are quite obsessive/compulsive about filling in every field they find.)
2. Check the HTTP_REFERER server variable during form processing to ensure it is coming from your expected website page, not a blank or off-site page.
3. Add a preview page so that the person can review their form entry prior to submitting it for processing. Bots usually do not check for confirmation pages, so they will miss the Confirm step. Users would be grateful to have a chance to review the information, so long as you make it clear at the top of the page that their information has not been submitted until they click the Confirm button below.

Using these alternatives to Recaptcha will give the same protection you desire for your website, while making your visitors more at ease when using it.