Google May 2026 Core Update - Part 1 - The Rollout
Google started rolling out the May 2026 Core Update on May 21st, and if your rankings have been bouncing around all week, this video walks you through what is happening and what you should be doing right now. This is Part 1 of a multi-part series covering the rollout. In this video, you will get a clear breakdown of what Google has officially confirmed, how this update compares to the March 2026 Core Update that finished on April 8th, and the biggest mistakes I see business owners and marketers make during the first two weeks of any core update. Here is what we cover in this video:
The exact rollout timeline and when you can expect it to wrap up What Google has and has not said about this specific update How to track your rankings and Search Console data without panicking Why early ranking movement is not a signal to make site changes yet What to watch for in Discover and AI Overviews as the rollout completes
The rollout is expected to take up to two weeks, which puts completion somewhere between June 4th and June 10th. Until then, your job is to monitor, not react. I walk through how to set up a clean baseline in Search Console so you have usable data to work with once the update finishes. If you run a business that depends on organic search traffic, or if you manage SEO for clients, this is the kind of update you want to stay on top of from day one. Part 2 will cover what to do after the rollout completes and how to read the winners and losers data once rankings stabilize.
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