Google has announced a new spam policy targeting a deceptive practice known as “back button hijacking”, saying websites that engage in it could face penalties in Search rankings. The company said the move is aimed at improving user experience, as the practice interferes with normal browser navigation. The updated policy will come into effect on June 15, 2026, giving site owners time to review and fix their implementations.
What is back button hijacking
According to Google, back button hijacking occurs when a website interferes with a user’s ability to return to the previous page using the browser’s back button. In this, instead of going back as expected, users may be redirected to pages they never visited, shown unsolicited content or ads or blocked from navigating away normally.
Google said this breaks a fundamental user expectation and disrupts the standard browsing experience, often leading to confusion and frustration.
What did Google say about this
Google said it is expanding its spam policies to explicitly classify back button hijacking as a violation under its “malicious practices” category. The company noted that such behaviour creates a mismatch between what users expect and what actually happens, resulting in a deceptive experience.
The company added that it has seen a rise in such practices and reiterated that inserting manipulative pages into a user’s browser history has already been against its Search guidelines. Under the updated policy, affected pages may face manual spam actions or automated ranking demotions in Google Search results.
What does it mean for websites
Google has advised site owners to ensure their websites do not interfere with normal browser navigation. This includes removing or disabling any scripts or techniques that insert or replace misleading pages in a user’s browsing history.
The company also pointed out that such behaviour may sometimes originate from third-party libraries or advertising tools, urging site owners to review their technical setups carefully. If a site is penalised and the issue is fixed, owners can submit a reconsideration request through Google Search Console.
