As you know, Google announced a new search spam penalty for back button hijacking. Site owners have until June 15, 2026 to remove any such functionality from its site or it will be subject to a manual action and/or automated algorithmic adjustment. Now, Google is sending email notifications through Search Console as reminders.
Glenn Gabe shared a screenshot of an email on X and said, "Google has started sending out emails to sites that are actively hijacking the back button. It's a warning with sample urls, links to the blog post about the new spam policy, etc."
The email says:
Warning: Your site may be in violation of Google's Back Button Hijacking policyWe've detected that a portion of your site may exhibit Back Button Hijacking behavior, which violates Google's newly launched spam policy on malicious practices.
Back Button Hijacking interferes with the user's browser navigation, preventing them from using their back button to immediately get back to the page they came from.
Recommended actions:
(1) Review the following example URLs to diagnose and resolve the issue (the list is not exhaustive):
(2) Review the policy:
Understand the policy to ensure your entire site is compliant and avoids future issues. Read about "Back Button Hijacking" on the blog.
No manual action has been taken at this time. We recommend fixing this issue as soon as possible to avoid a potential manual action that could negatively impact your site's performance on Search. Enforcement of this policy is scheduled to begin on June 15, 2026.
Note: Changes made on or after April 17, 2026, are not reflected in this notification. We'll re-verify your site's compliance before any manual action is taken.
Here is his screenshot:
So, if you do get this email, Google will reverify before action is taken.
As a reminder, Google defines back button hijacking as:
When a user clicks the "back" button in the browser, they have a clear expectation: they want to return to the previous page. Back button hijacking breaks this fundamental expectation. It 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. Instead, users might be sent to pages they never visited before, be presented with unsolicited recommendations or ads, or are otherwise just prevented from normally browsing the web.
I should note, a number of SEOs are posting screenshots of clients or former clients that received this notification.
I'd take this seriously.
Forum discussion at X.
