Google May 2020 Core Update (4 May 2020): What Changed and How to Recover

The Google May 2020 core update was a broad core algorithm update that began on 4 May 2020 at about 3:50pm ET and was confirmed complete on 18 May 2020, about two weeks later. It landed in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, when search behaviour was already changing sharply, and trackers rated it one of the most volatile core updates up to that point. The hard part is separating the update from the pandemic’s effect on demand.

For context on the updates either side of it, see my full list of Google algorithm updates.

What the May 2020 core update changed

This was the second core update of 2020, after January. Like every core update, it adjusted how Google’s core ranking systems assess the quality and relevance of content across the web, with no named target. Google said it would take one to two weeks to roll out, and on 18 May it confirmed: “the May 2020 Core Update rollout is complete.”

That confirmation is worth noting. Earlier core updates often ended without a clear statement, which left site owners guessing. With May 2020 you have a firm start and end date, which makes the analysis much more reliable.

Why the timing made it unusual

The update rolled out during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Searches for travel, events and many local services had collapsed, while searches for health information, home delivery, remote work and home activities had surged. Many sites were already seeing large traffic changes for reasons that had nothing to do with Google’s algorithms. Then a major core update arrived on top.

The result was a period where two big forces, a demand shock and a ranking reassessment, overlapped. Any diagnosis of May 2020 has to account for both.

Timeline

Who was affected

Google named no sectors. Data providers did report patterns, which I list here as industry observation:

• Most volatile categories: travel, real estate, health, pets and animals, and people and society were reported as seeing the largest volatility.
• Size: Semrush scored it 9.4 on its sensor, compared with 8.0 for the January 2020 update. Moz ranked it the second-highest core update on MozCast since August 2018.
• Spread: RankRanger said it was more uniform across niches than a typical core update.

Look at that category list again. Travel and real estate were exactly the sectors whose demand had collapsed or changed during lockdown, and health was the sector where demand and scrutiny had risen most. Part of the volatility measured in those categories may reflect search results being reshuffled while the queries themselves were changing. That is one reason I would not read too much into sector-level reports for this update.

How to tell if the May 2020 core update hit your site

The key question is whether you lost rankings or lost demand. They look the same in a traffic graph but need completely different responses.

1. Use impressions and positions, not just clicks. In your archived Search Console data, compare the two weeks before 4 May with the two weeks after 18 May. If impressions fell but average position held, demand fell. If position dropped, rankings changed.
2. Check demand separately. Use Google Trends for your main queries from February to June 2020. If interest fell sharply in March and April, a lower baseline in May is demand, not the update.
3. Look at your core queries one by one. For your top 20 queries, note position before and after. A consistent drop in position across many queries, starting between 4 and 18 May, points to the update.
4. Watch for COVID-related intent shifts. Some queries changed meaning. Someone searching for a local service in May 2020 might have wanted to know whether it was open or offered delivery. If competitors updated their pages for that and you did not, you may have lost relevance rather than quality.
5. Rule out your own changes. Many businesses changed sites during lockdown, adding notices, removing services or changing booking systems. Check for those around the same dates.

How to recover from the May 2020 core update

Google’s position is that there is no specific fix for a core update and that a drop does not necessarily mean a page has a problem. For May 2020, I would add one step at the front: make sure you are fixing a ranking problem and not a demand problem.

1. Separate demand loss from ranking loss. Only pages that lost position need content work. Pages that held position but lost impressions need patience, or a change of focus to what people were searching for instead.
2. Review your health and advice content carefully. Health was one of the most volatile categories, and during a pandemic the bar for trustworthy health information rose. Check that medical claims are accurate, sourced and reviewed by someone qualified, and that the author is visible.
3. Update pages for changed circumstances. Pages with out-of-date opening hours, services or policies are less helpful. Keep information current and remove anything that misleads.
4. Compare with the pages that won. Search your lost queries and study the new top results. Note how they handle intent, depth and trust.
5. Work through Google’s self-assessment questions. Focus on originality, expertise and whether a reader would leave satisfied.
6. Keep your Google Business Profile accurate. For local businesses, this was the period when people relied heavily on profile details such as hours and service options. My local SEO services cover profile management.
7. Measure at the next core update. Recovery most often shows at a later core update. In this case the next one was December 2020, seven months later.

Is it still relevant today?

The May 2020 update has been overwritten by many later core updates. Its lasting lesson is about diagnosis: a core update that coincides with a big external change in demand, whether a pandemic, an economic shock or a seasonal peak, needs careful separation of demand from rankings. That applies every time a core update lands during an unusual period.

It is also a reminder that health content is held to a high standard in Google Search, and that standard has not dropped since.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Google Search Central: core updates
• Keywords Everywhere: May 2020 Core Update
• Search Engine Journal: Google algorithm history

If your traffic fell in May 2020 and you are still not sure whether it was the update or the pandemic, I can help you untangle it. My SEO audit services separate demand changes from ranking changes. Request a free SEO audit to get started.