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A new search spam penalty related to back button hijacking has been announced, with a deadline of June 15, 2026, for site owners to eliminate this behavior from their websites. Failure to comply could lead to manual actions or algorithmic penalties. To alert site owners, Google is now using email notifications via Search Console as reminders.
Glenn Gabe shared an example screenshot of such an email, which indicates that Google has started notifying sites exhibiting back button hijacking behavior. The message warns that this activity violates Google’s updated spam policies focused on malicious tactics. The email provides specific URLs suspected of non-compliance and recommends reviewing the site’s adherence to the policy, emphasizing the importance of understanding and resolving back button hijacking issues.
The email states that no manual action has been enforced yet, but it urges website owners to address the problems promptly to prevent future penalties that could harm search performance. It also clarifies that any website modifications made after April 17, 2026, won’t be reflected in the current notification, but re-verification will occur before any penalties are applied.
Visual proof of this communication shows a warning label indicating a potential violation of Google’s back button hijacking policy. If site owners receive such notifications, Google will re-verify the site’s compliance before enforcing any sanctions.
Google defines back button hijacking as an interference where a site disrupts the user’s expected navigation by preventing the use of the back button. Instead, users might be redirected to unfamiliar pages, shown unwanted ads, or otherwise impeded from normal browsing.
Several SEO professionals have shared screenshots of clients’ sites receiving these warnings, emphasizing the importance of taking this alert seriously.
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