Google has announced a new spam policy targeting a deceptive practice known as “back button hijacking”. The company said the move is aimed at improving user experience, as the practice interferes with normal browser navigation. It further said that websites that engage in it could face penalties in Search rankings. The updated policy will come into effect on June 15, 2026, giving site owners time to review and fix their implementations.
Simply put, back button hijacking happens when a website stops the user from going back to the previous page using the browser’s back button. Normally, when the user clicks “back,” he is expected to return to the last page he visited. But in such cases, websites interfere with this basic function. Instead of taking back, they may –
- Redirect you to a completely different page
- Show unwanted ads or pop-ups
- Trap you in a loop where you cannot exit easily
This creates a frustrating and confusing experience for users.
Once the policy is enforced, websites found using back button hijacking may face - manual penalties from Google, automatic ranking drops in search results and reduced visibility and traffic.
Google has given site owners two months’ time to fix the issue before enforcement begins.
