Google Finally Takes a Stand Against ‘Back Button Hacking’.
It’s one of the most annoying things a website can do: you visit a page, browse it, and for some reason decide to go back to the previous page. Only when you hit the back button or use the keyboard shortcut to return to the previous page does the current site simply reload. So you try again, and the site reloads again. The reason? It’s a back button hijack.
Back button hijacking is an aggressive tactic websites can use to trick you into staying on their pages longer. By hijacking the ability to return to a previous page, they can keep you on the same page, redirect you to other pages, or show you ads you wouldn’t normally see. It’s a sneaky practice, though it’s not limited to “malicious” websites—I’ve seen it on sites of all sizes. It’s an effective tactic for any website looking to increase sessions. Others don’t like it. Including, it seems, Google.
The days of hacking with the back button are numbered.
Google is finally taking action against this practice. On Monday, in its Google Search Central blog, Google officially called it a clear violation of the ” Harmful Activity ” section of its spam policy, placing it alongside malware and unwanted software downloads as examples of behavior that, in Google’s words, “creates a mismatch between a user’s expectations and the actual result, resulting in a negative and deceptive user experience or compromising a user’s security or privacy.” And indeed, it does.
Regarding Back button hijacking, Google claims that users who encounter this practice feel cheated and are less likely to visit unfamiliar sites in the future. In short, it’s not just annoying; it disrupts the overall web browsing experience and makes the internet a less engaging place to explore.
Google is warning website owners that instances of back button use may result in manual anti-spam actions, requiring users to correct the issue (in this case, using the back button) and request a manual review by Google before the issue is marked as resolved. Google also advises that such sites may be subject to automatic ranking demotions. Both of these actions can impact a site’s ranking in Google search results. Google advises all website owners to thoroughly review their sites to remove or disable any code, imports, or configurations that cause back button use—even if these instances are related to advertising platforms or existing libraries, rather than simply the site owner’s intended design. If you know your site uses a script that prevents users from returning to a previous page, you should remove it.
When will the rules restricting the use of the back button go into effect?
Unfortunately, the disappearance of the Back button interception feature may not happen immediately. Google is giving site owners a two-month grace period before the policy takes effect, but starting June 15, interception of the Back button will be prohibited and will result in consequences from Google.