Google is expanding its policies to crack down on websites that trap users with 'back button hijacking', a practice where a website interferes with a browser so the back button no longer takes users to the previous page, instead often keeping them on the site or presenting unsolicited ads. From June 15, back button hijacking will be deemed a 'malicious practice' by Google, and sites that continue to use it after that date may be down-ranked or even removed from Google Search results. Examples of practices Google will clamp down on include sites using any technique that inserts 'manipulative' pages into a user's browser history to stop them from returning to the previous page.
Google advises site owners to ensure they do not interfere with a user's ability to navigate their browser history to avoid penalties, and sites that are penalized but then fix the issue can submit a request to Google to have the demotion reconsidered. According to BBC News - Technology, Adam Thompson described practices like back button hijacking as undermining the basic user experience and breaking expectations of how the web should work, making Google's action understandable. Google stated that back button hijacking interferes with the browser's functionality, breaks the expected user journey, and results in user frustration.
Back button hijacking interferes with the browser's functionality, breaks the expected user journey, and results in user frustration.
It remains unclear how many websites are currently using back button hijacking techniques or what specific technical methods constitute it under Google's new policy. Additionally, the exact mechanisms for detection and enforcement of penalties after June 15, as well as the expected impact on search rankings for affected sites, have not been detailed by Google.
Practices like back button hijacking undermine the basic user experience and break the expectations people have of how the web should work, so it's understandable that Google views this as a harmful behavior and [is] taking action.