Google will soon penalize sites that hijack your browser’s back button
Summary created by Smart Answers AI
In summary:
- PCWorld reports that Google will penalize websites that hijack the browser’s back button, a manipulative practice that redirects users to unwanted pages or advertisements.
- This new anti-spam policy violation, which went into effect on June 15, targets sites that use JavaScript to modify browser history and prevent normal functionality of the back button.
- The crackdown aims to improve user experience by eliminating frustrating redirects, especially on mobile browsers where this hijacking practice is most prevalent.
Have you ever tried to click “back” on a website, but instead of going back to the previous page, you ended up on a wall of ads? This can happen when websites or ad networks use JavaScript to modify your browser history. This is especially common in mobile browsers.
In a recent Google Search Central blog post, the company says this type of “back button hijacking” is becoming more prevalent and wants to do something about it. Hijacking the Back button is now a codified violation in its anti-spam policy, which goes into effect June 15.
Google defines back button hacking like this:
When a user clicks the browser’s “back” button, they have a clear expectation: they want to return to the previous page. Hijacking the Back button breaks this fundamental expectation. This happens when a site interferes with a user’s browser navigation and prevents them from using their back button to immediately return to the page they came from. Instead, users may be directed to pages they have never visited before, presented with unsolicited recommendations or advertisements, or simply prevented from browsing the web normally.
And explains why it’s important to tackle this problem:
We believe that user experience comes first. Back button hacking interferes with browser functionality, interrupts the expected user journey, and leads to user frustration. People report feeling manipulated and ultimately less willing to visit unfamiliar sites. As we’ve said before, inserting deceptive or manipulative pages into a user’s browser history has always been against our Google Search Core Principles.
Websites now have two months to remove any scripts that manipulate users’ browser history and must also ensure that any ad libraries or platforms they use do not hijack the back button. Sites that violate this new policy may, among other things, be penalized by lower rankings in Google search results.
This article was originally published on our sister publication PC för Alla and has been translated and localized from Swedish.
