Google designates 'back-button hijacking' as spam

Google Search Central has explicitly named back button hijacking as a new spam policy violation.

This targets behavior that prevents users from returning to the original page when they press the browser's back button, or that sends them to recommendation/ad pages they never visited.

Key details are as follows.

• The policy announcement was posted on April 13, 2026.
• Enforcement begins on June 15, 2026.
• Violations may result in manual spam actions or automated demotions.
• Site operators must remove any script, import, configuration that manipulates browser history.
• After fixing the issue, recovery can be requested via a Search Console reconsideration request.

Google views this behavior as breaking user expectations and disrupting navigation flow, and has explicitly strengthened its existing malicious practices policy.