March 2026 core update vs May 2026 core update
55 days separate the start of the March 2026 core update and the May 2026 core update. Both took about the same time to roll out.
| March 2026 core update | May 2026 core update | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Core update | Core update |
| Started | 27 Mar 2026, 09:00 UTC | 21 May 2026, 15:40 UTC |
| Finished | 8 Apr 2026, 13:00 UTC | 2 Jun 2026, 12:40 UTC |
| Rollout | 12 days, 4h | 11 days, 21h |
| Against the median core update | 2.9 days shorter | 3.2 days shorter |
| Day it began | Friday | Thursday |
| Other events overlapping | 0 | 0 |
| Archived coverage | 1 headlines | 5 headlines |
The March 2026 core update in brief
The March 2026 core update ran from 27 March to 8 April. A week after it finished, Search Engine Land reported that it was more volatile than the December 2025 core update, with close to 80% of top results changing position.
The May 2026 core update in brief
The May 2026 core update began on 21 May, the second core update of the year after March. It was confirmed complete on 2 June, twelve days later.
About this comparison
Dates and times are Google's own, in UTC. Rollout lengths and the comparison with the median are calculated here. "Archived coverage" counts headlines this site captured that name the update type, from two days before the start to ten days after the finish — it reflects what this archive held at the time, not total coverage.