Source: Search Engine Roundtable by barry@rustybrick.com (Barry Schwartz). Read the original article
TL;DR Summary of Google AdSense Vignette Ads Back Button Hijacking Risk
Google AdSense’s vignette ads have a hidden setting called “Allow additional triggers for vignette ads” that can cause back button hijacking. Enabling this setting risks a Google search penalty under the new spam policy against back button hijacking. Disabling this option helps avoid manual actions from Google’s Search Spam team. Site owners should review and adjust this setting promptly to maintain compliance.
Optimixed’s Overview: Understanding the Risks of Back Button Hijacking via AdSense Vignette Ads
What Is the Issue?
Google AdSense includes an advanced vignette ads setting that allows additional triggers to activate these full-page ads. One of these triggers can cause an ad to appear when a user clicks the browser’s back button, effectively hijacking the navigation experience.
Why Is This a Problem?
- Back button hijacking goes against Google’s updated Search Spam policies, which protect users from manipulative navigation behavior.
- Sites using this vignette ad trigger risk a manual penalty from Google’s Search Spam team, which operates independently from Google Ads.
Where to Find and How to Fix the Setting
- In your Google AdSense dashboard, go to the Ads section.
- Click Edit next to your site in the list.
- Under Ad settings, ensure Auto ads is enabled.
- Within the Overlay formats, confirm Vignette ads is selected.
- Scroll to the bottom under the Advanced settings and locate “Allow additional triggers for vignette ads”.
- Disable this option to prevent triggering back button hijacking behavior.
Final Thoughts
Although vignette ads can generate revenue, the risk of incurring a Google search penalty due to back button hijacking is significant. Site owners should act quickly to disable risky triggers within vignette ads to maintain a positive user experience and stay compliant with Google’s evolving policies.
