Welcome to Pulse of the Week: Updates impact what Google considers spam, what happens when you report it, and what agent search looks like in practice.
Here you will find out what is important for you and your work.
Google’s new spam policy aims to hijack back buttons
Google has added back button hijacking to its spam policy. Enforcement begins June 15. The behavior now constitutes an explicit violation in the “malicious practices” category.
Important facts: Back button hijacking occurs when a website interferes with browser navigation and prevents users from returning to the previous page. Sites that engage in this behavior will face manual spam actions or automatic downgrades.
Why this is important
Google noted that some back button hijackings originate in the included libraries or advertising platforms, meaning that liability lies with the publisher even if the behavior originates from a provider.
You have two months to review every script running on your site, including ad libraries and recommendation widgets that you didn’t write yourself.
Sites that receive a manual action after June 15 can submit a reconsideration request through Search Console once the offending code has been removed.
What SEO experts say
Daniel Foley Carter, SEO consultant, summarized the community reaction on LinkedIn:
“So basically the spamming you do to keep users from leaving the company? Yeah, don’t do it.”
Manish Chauhan, Head of SEO at Groww, added on LinkedIn that he:
“I’m glad this issue is being fixed. It always felt like a short-term hack for page views at the expense of user trust.”
Read our full coverage: Google’s new spam policy aims to hijack back buttons
Spam reports can now trigger manual actions
Google updated its Report a Spam documentation on April 14, stating that user input can now trigger manual action against sites that violate spam policies. The previous guidance stated that spam reports were intended to improve spam detection systems and not to take direct action.
Important facts: Google may use spam reports to manually address violations. When Google triggers a manual action, the report text is sent verbatim to the reported website via Search Console.
Why this is important
Google now states that spam reports can be used to initiate manual actions and is explicitly making reports part of its enforcement process in official documentation.
This also raises concerns about possible abuse, as grudge reporting and sabotage by competitors may become more attractive if the reports have a tangible impact. Therefore, the true test will be the quality of reports that Google actually considers.
What SEO experts say
Gagan Ghotra, SEO consultant, wrote on LinkedIn about why the change could lead to better reporting:
“Spam reports are now directly related to Google taking manual action against domains. Google has announced that if there is a spam report from a user, and based on that report Google decides to take manual action against a domain, then Google will simply send the user submitted content in a report to the site owner (Search Console – Manual Action Report) and ask them to fix these issues. Seems like Google has been getting too many generic spam reports and now “The incentives for reporting are adjusted. That’s why I think people will submit reports that are very relevant.” Information about why/how a particular website violates Google’s spam policies.”
Read Roger Montti’s full coverage: Google has simply made it easy for SEOs to remove spam websites
Agentic Restaurant Booking is expanded in AI mode
Google expanded AI-powered agent restaurant booking to more markets on April 10, including the UK and India. Robby Stein, VP of Product for Google Search, announced the launch on X.
Important facts: Searchers can describe group size, time and preferences in AI mode, which simultaneously scans booking platforms for availability in real-time. The booking itself is made through Google partners and not directly on restaurant websites.
Why this is important
The restaurant booking shows how task completion works within the search. For local SEOs and marketers, traffic patterns are changing: users often stay on Google during discovery and bookings are routed through partners.
This depends on Google Booking partners, who may limit the visibility of restaurants outside of these platforms, making exposure on Google-powered booking sites more important than the restaurant’s own website. This model may or may not be extended to other experiences.
What SEO experts say
Glenn Gabe, SEO and AI search consultant at G-Squared Interactive, marked the rollout on X:
I feel like this is under the radar -> Google launches global agent restaurant booking via AI mode. TBH, I’m not sure how many people would use this in AI mode versus directly in Google Maps or Search (where you can already make a reservation), but it shows how Google is moving quickly to scale agent actions.
Aleyda Solís, SEO consultant and founder of Orainti, pointed out a key caveat in a LinkedIn post:
“Google expands agent restaurant booking in AI mode worldwide: but you still need to complete the booking through Google partners.”
Read Roger Montti’s full coverage: Google’s task-based agent search is disrupting SEO today, not tomorrow
Topic of the week: Google gets specific
What is considered spam, what happens when spam is reported, and what agent search looks like were more clearly defined this week.
Hijacking the back button becomes a named violation with an enforcement date. Google’s documentation now states that spam reports can be used for manual actions and not just fed into detection systems. Agent search will become a live product for restaurant reservations in certain markets, rather than a conversation about the future.
Now compliance work, reporting mechanisms and agent experience are understood clearly enough to be tracked directly rather than just predicted.
Top stories of the week:
Additional resources:
Featured image: Roman Samborskyi/Shutterstock
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