Google to penalise websites that hijack your browser’s back button

From June, sites that trap users by breaking the back button will risk being demoted – or removed – from Google Search results.

If you’ve ever clicked the back button on your browser only to find yourself stuck in an endless loop – bounced to another ad, redirected to a new page, or simply going nowhere – you’ve been the victim of “back button hijacking.” Google has now had enough of it.

The search giant has announced a significant policy update targeting this frustrating practice, confirming it will be classified as a “malicious” behaviour from 15 June 2026. Websites found to be interfering with users’ browser navigation could face reduced visibility in Google Search, or in the most serious cases, could be removed from results entirely.

What is back button hijacking?

Back button hijacking happens when a website deliberately manipulates browser history to prevent users from leaving. Rather than returning to wherever they came from, clicking back either keeps them on the same site, inserts unexpected intermediate pages, or forces them to encounter more adverts. It’s a dark pattern and designed to benefit the site owner at the direct expense of the user.

Google cited a clear rise in this behaviour, noting that people have increasingly reported feeling manipulated by it, and that it erodes trust in unfamiliar websites over time.

“Back button hijacking interferes with the browser’s functionality, breaks the expected user journey, and results in user frustration.” – Google

What will Google penalise, exactly?

The new policy targets any technique that inserts “manipulative” entries into a user’s browser history – essentially any method that prevents someone from navigating backwards freely. This includes injecting phantom pages into the browser stack so the back button loops rather than exits.

Adam Thompson, director of digital at BCS (the Chartered Institute for IT), commented in response to the announcement that practices like these undermine basic user expectations of how the web should work, and that Google’s decision to treat it as harmful is understandable.

What should website owners do now?

Google’s advice to site owners is straightforward: don’t do anything that interferes with how a user navigates their browser history. If you use any third-party scripts, ad networks, or redirect logic, now is the time to audit them carefully. Google has also noted that if a site is penalised but subsequently fixes the issue, it can submit a reconsideration request.

For most legitimate, well-built websites, this change will have no impact at all. It’s primarily aimed at sites that have deliberately built deceptive navigation patterns. That said, it’s worth checking your own site especially if you use complex redirect flows, interstitial pages, or certain types of ad integrations that may have this side effect unintentionally.

The bigger picture for SEO

This move is part of a broader pattern from Google: rewarding sites that offer a good user experience and penalising those that prioritise short-term engagement tricks over genuine value. User experience signals – including how people interact with your site after arriving from search – are increasingly woven into how Google evaluates quality.

Keeping your technical implementation clean, your navigation intuitive, and your user experience honest isn’t just good ethics. From June onwards, it’s also essential for your rankings.

Source: BBC News — Google to crack down on back button hijacking (April 2026)

Photo by Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash