Breaking SEO News!
There is a new upcoming penalty that Google will be implementing on June 15th, 2026 that you need to be aware of right now.
You can also check out this link for the full list of what Google considers to be Malicious Website Practices. This is a great list to share to your website developer or SEO/GEO team if they're not aware of it. It can help ensure they're not doing anything silly, on your behalf. But, more on this down below...
What's This June 15th Google Update About?
Apparently Google has determined that the manipulation of "back button" functionality has gotten to such a point that it warrants an actual penalty. If you're caught doing this, i.e. altering the nature of the back button to either not function as intended or produce an effect that does not actually return the visitor to the previous experience or page - you are at serious risk of a penalty.
What's the Penalty?
Google is NOT messing around here - you could be visibility and reach penalized or removed entirely from the search index. So pay close attention to the rest of this blog.
Why Does This One Stand Out To Me?
What stands out to me is the fact that they're telegraphing this update. That's significant because Google engineers know it'll make the rounds in the SEO/GEO industry and via the Search Media (like this blog).
This also means, the penalties will be big and hit some big sites. They're going to rock the world of sites that don't comply - Mark my words.
Why? Because Google could have alternatively made this simply part of an algorithmic update which no one would ever really have first-hand confirmation of, and smack-down any websites utilizing this crap, without anyone outside of the Google Search Quality teams knowing why. They announced this ahead of time for a reason.
Of course, I can't be sure until I meet with my Google buddy here in Tokyo later next month, hah, but I think that Google clearly wants this tactic stopped and cleaned up by the community, but if I were them, I'd also pay attention to the sites that they've detected this on, and take note of who cleans up their act. Knowing this would allow me to better police the neighborhoods of websites out there and also focus my Spam team on the worst manipulators.
My Recommendations - Do this In This Order:
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Determine Your Risk: Task your SEO/GEO team to quickly determine if you are at risk.
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If you've been doing this, stop it immediately: Ignore anyone who says you should keep doing this. Regardless of what your team or your cousin, or a smart consultant says about "it's effectiveness to create the better Paid Media No Escape Landing Page", or it's great because it "pushes people deeper through a shopping cart" -- the risk here is far too great. There's also no use trying to get around a Google Penalty. Trust me, you're not going to be more clever than the Google devs.
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Don't believe me? Do this math: If you're not aware, a Google Penalty is severe and it can often last for 6 months or more! So if you're even considering continuing this practice, just take a second and look at your current organic traffic in GA4. A penalty will usually cost you somewhere between 80-100% your Google organic visibly for that long. Now, ask yourself these 3 questions:
- What is the cost to my business if I lose 80-100% of organic Google Traffic?
- How many leads or conversions would that cost me?
- Would I have to lay people off if this happened?
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If you were doing this - find out why: First, prioritize your time (and your devs time) stopping and removing this code, but do not stop there. After the malicious code is removed, find out if your Paid or SEO/GEO team requested or implemented this code. If so, consider the following:
As you read the Google team's own words, manipulating the User Experience from what is generally excepted is never ok. I can definitively tell you that this has been the same for decades now. Anyone unclear about this, has no right to call themselves a legitimate Digital Marketer. Take that for what it's worth.
Mark's SEO/GEO Golden Rule To Avoid Penalties
Now, you might be asking yourself, "Mark, buddy, what would you have done here?" Well the great news is, I have an awesome and easy answer for you.
This is what I've said to my Digital Marketing teams, new hires, clients, my bosses -- anyone who's asked me about Google penalty avoidance or gray hat SEO/GEO.
"If you'd be worried to share what you're doing with a Google Search Quality Team member, you're doing something wrong." - Fillmore
Wrap-up
Ok, so that's my take. But also, here's a nice AI Summary of the update for you - please reach out if you have any questions!
AI Summary
Google’s latest update, announced on April 13, 2026, introduces a strict new spam policy targeting a deceptive practice known as "back button hijacking." This occurs when a website manipulates a user's browser history or uses JavaScript to prevent them from returning to their previous page after clicking the "back" button. Instead of exiting as expected, users are often trapped on the site, redirected to unsolicited advertisements, or forced through a series of "fake" history entries designed to keep them on the domain against their will.
My "overlords" at Google have declared this an explicit violation of their malicious practices policy, emphasizing that it breaks the fundamental user journey and erodes trust in web navigation. Consequently, starting June 15, 2026, sites found employing these tactics will face severe ranking penalties or could be removed from search results entirely. Website owners are being given a two-month grace period to audit their technical implementations and remove any scripts - including those from third-party ad networks - that interfere with standard browser functionality.
Information Sources:
