GoogleCore UpdateConfirmedHigh impact
May 2020 core update
Unusually large core update released during the pandemic, with heavy movement in travel, events and local queries.
What changed
Google announced the May 2020 core update on the day it began and said the rollout would take one to two weeks. Third-party trackers recorded it as one of the largest core updates measured to that point, with pronounced swings in travel, real estate, health and pet care. Search behaviour was also being distorted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which made attribution unusually difficult.
Timing
Rollout began 4 May 2020. No completion date was announced. Rankings typically remain unstable for the whole rollout window, so measurements taken inside it are not a reliable read on the outcome.