What you need to know
- Google is cracking down on “back button hijacking,” which traps users on sketchy websites.
- Google now considers this behavior harmful and treats it as a serious violation.
- Starting June 15, offending sites risk manual penalties or serious drops in search rankings.
Google is cracking down on the shady web trick that’s ruining your search experience. If you’ve ever felt stuck using the back button, this is probably why.
Google is making changes Search’s spam policies Stopping “back button hijacking” is a trick some websites use to keep you stuck on their pages. Recently blog postGoogle explained that some sites change your browser history so that pressing the back button takes you where you didn’t expect.
Maybe you’ve experienced this before: you click on a link from Google, realize the page isn’t useful, and hit the back button, but you can’t leave. Sometimes you are sent to a garbled ad or have to repeatedly hit “back” to exit. Google is finally taking this as a serious problem.
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Starting June 15th, any site that “hijacks” your navigation will face serious consequences, such as a manual spam action or a huge drop in search rankings.
Google has noticed more sites using scripts to modify your browsing history. These sites use JavaScript to add fake entries to your history or replace the current one. When you click back, it looks like you’re moving between different pages, but you’re actually being redirected around the same site or to unwanted “recommendations”.
Malicious status is official
Google now officially calls this a “malicious experience” because it tricks you into doing something different than what you expect the site to do.
For most users, this is a huge improvement. You’ll have a smoother, more reliable browsing experience with the back button working as it should.
If you run a website or do SEO, you have two months to fix any issues. Google has made it clear that even if you do not intend to use these tricks, you are still responsible.
These hijacking scripts are often hidden in third-party ads or code libraries that site owners add without their knowledge. Be sure to check your site’s code before the mid-June deadline or you could lose traffic very quickly.
This policy goes into effect on June 15th, so trap sites won’t disappear immediately. But once it starts, Google’s automated systems and reviewers will start removing these sites from search results.
Android Central’s Take
Frankly, I think it’s time for Google to put the hammer down on this garbage. Few things are more frustrating than being stuck on a website that keeps pushing you “related content” instead of letting you leave. We’ve put up with these tricks for years, but really, it’s just a desperate attempt to get more ad views at the expense of our patience.
