May 2022 Google Core Update: Rollout & Analysis

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Google's first core update in over six months ran May 25 to June 9, 2022, a 15-day rollout that data providers read as big and fast-moving, larger than the November 2021 core update.

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Google announced the May 2022 core update on May 25, 2022, around 11:30 am ET, with the blog post "May 2022 core update releasing for Google Search". It was the first core update in more than six months, following the November 2021 core update, and Google estimated it would take about 1-2 weeks to fully roll out. Search Central announced completion on Twitter on June 9, 2022, 15 days after launch.

Unlike some rollouts that build slowly, this one moved early and hard: data providers described it as a big update that rolled out quickly for many of the queries they tracked, notably more significant than the November 2021 core update, with the heaviest volatility of the rollout recorded around June 5.

Google's framing at launch was the standard core-update message: these are changes "to improve Search overall and keep pace with the changing nature of the web", nothing in them targets specific sites, and "a negative rankings impact may not signal anything is wrong with your pages". If your site moved in the May 25 to June 9 window, audit the affected pages against the self-assessment questions in Google's core updates documentation; some recovery can show between updates, but the biggest changes tend to register at subsequent core updates. Our recovery guide covers the sequence.

Rollout log

  • Rollout announced and started around 11:30 am ET, the first core update since November 2021; Google estimates 1-2 weeks.

  • Data providers record the heaviest ranking volatility of the rollout around this date.

  • Google announces on Twitter that the rollout is complete, 15 days after launch.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

When did the May 2022 core update start and finish?

It started May 25, 2022, around 11:30 am ET and Google announced completion on June 9, 2022, a 15-day rollout against an initial estimate of about 1-2 weeks.

How big was the May 2022 core update?

Big, by contemporary accounts: data providers said it rolled out quickly and moved many tracked queries, and read as more significant than the November 2021 core update, with peak volatility around June 5.

What should I do if the May 2022 core update hit my site?

Core updates have no specific fix. Compare winning and losing pages against Google's core-update self-assessment questions, improve content helpfulness site-wide, and expect meaningful recovery to register at a later core update rather than immediately.

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Cite this page: Keywords Everywhere, "May 2022 Google Core Update: Rollout & Analysis", last updated 9th Jun 2022, https://keywordseverywhere.com/news/google-algorithm-updates/may-2022-core-update/