Google Finally Cracks Down on a Bad Web Practice

Google recently announced they are going after something called “back button hijacking.”

If you’ve ever tried to leave a website and couldn’t, or had to hit the back button five times just to get out, that’s what this is.

Some sites have been using tricks that keep you stuck. You hit back and instead of going where you expect, it sends you somewhere else or reloads another page. It’s frustrating and honestly just a bad experience.

I’ll be honest, I’m a little surprised it took Google this long to step in on this one.

This has been going on for years. It’s usually low quality sites trying to squeeze a few extra ad views or keep people on the page longer than they want to be. It was never a good strategy, just a trick.

But this move from Google matters because it keeps pointing in the same direction we’ve been talking about for a long time.

SEO is not about tricks.

It’s about being relevant and actually giving people what they are looking for.

If your website is helpful, loads fast, and is easy to use, you’re already doing what Google wants. If your site is built around trying to game the system, those things eventually get caught.

This is just another example of that.

For business owners, the takeaway is simple. Make sure your site is clean. Be careful with outside plugins, ad networks, and anything added to your site that you didn’t personally build. Sometimes these issues come from third parties and you don’t even realize it.

But more than anything, focus on the basics.

Good content. Clear navigation. A site that works the way people expect.

That’s what holds up over time.

We’ve always told our clients the same thing at Mansell Media. The goal isn’t to trick Google. The goal is to build a website that actually works for the person using it.

Google is just getting better at rewarding that.

And honestly, that’s a good thing.