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Google Announces Crackdown on Back Button Hijacking Spam

55
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TLDR

Google introduced a new spam policy on April 13, 2026 targeting back button hijacking, a deceptive practice that traps users on sites to boost ad impressions.

Optimixed Overview

Optimixed's original report on this story.

Google has issued a formal policy against back button hijacking, wherein site owners prevent users from returning to their previous page to keep them engaged on high-ad-density content. Per the GSQi Blog, the announcement covers how 25 publishers responded after the policy went live, offering insight into compliance efforts across the publishing industry.

Topics:SEO News & Algorithm Updates
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