Did you know there are currently websites hijacking your back button? It may be something you noticed without even realizing it, but now Google is doing something about it.
The tech giant announced it’s expanding existing policies to crack down on websites that quite literally hijack the back button. You know how sometimes you’re on a website, click the back button, and it just doesn’t take you back to the page you were on? Or, it directs to a new page on the same site or even an ad? Yeah, that’s hijacking.
In Google’s terms, hijacking “occurs when a site interferes with a user’s browser navigation and prevents them from using their back button to immediately get back to the page they came from.”
Google cracks down on the ‘malicious practice’
The company acted after noticing a rise in the number of websites pulling this trick. So, beginning on June 15, any site that continues to use this now-deemed “malicious practice” will be downranked or even removed from Google results.
“Back button hijacking interferes with the browser’s functionality, breaks the expected user journey, and results in user frustration,” Google said in a blog post.
The company said users have reported feeling manipulated and less inclined to visit unfamiliar sites as a result of the practice — which, frankly, makes sense.
When scrolling online, the last thing a user wants to feel is manipulated or forced into viewing pages they didn’t intend to click on. That feeling aligns with Google’s policy.
“As we’ve stated before, inserting deceptive or manipulative pages into a user’s browser history has always been against our Google Search Essentials,” Google wrote.
Advice to site owners
With a deadline of June 15, Google told website owners to ensure their sites don’t do “anything to interfere with a user’s ability to navigate their browser history.”
“We encourage site owners to thoroughly review their technical implementation and remove or disable any code, imports or any configurations that are responsible for back button hijacking,” Google wrote.
Social media goes wild
The change is already receiving positive feedback. An article detailing Google’s action was posted on Reddit and got hundreds of replies from people thrilled with the news.
Users said “about damn time” and noted they’re “glad” for the change.
Another user called back-button hijacking “genuinely insane,” saying, “half the time I just close the tab entirely because going back is impossible.”
So, to all the Google users out there, enjoy being hijack-free, effective June 15.