Google’s May Core Update Rewards Intent-Focused Pages
▼ Summary
– Sites that best matched query intent, market, and result type gained visibility, while those a step removed lost ground, according to SISTRIX visibility data from the final days of Google’s May core update.
– Authority alone did not determine winners; for example, nytimes.com and nih.gov dropped, while original sources like cambridge.org rose 40.9% and third-party tools like youglish.com fell 69.6%.
– In the UK index, local retailers like amazon.co.uk rose 21.3%, while amazon.com fell 54.6%, aligning with earlier findings that AI search clicks favor local domains.
– The data does not support blanket category trends; forums like reddit.com fell 23.8% in the UK, but marketplaces like trip.com gained, indicating specific result types matter more than broad categories.
– The analysis suggests checking which result type gained for each query and ensuring your page matches that type, as authority alone is too broad a comparison point.
An analysis of SISTRIX visibility data by Aleyda Solis has uncovered a clear pattern in the final days of Google’s May core update. Sites that closely matched a query’s intent, market, and result type generally gained visibility, while those a step removed from that alignment lost ground. Solis measured domain visibility in the US and UK between May 26 and June 2, the day Google confirmed the rollout was complete. This is just one tool’s data for two markets, taken at the tail end of the update, so other datasets and regions may show different results.
Solis describes the pattern as a reset, where the destination type matters for each query. She notes that authority still plays a role, but by itself, it doesn’t fully explain who benefits and who doesn’t.
Authority alone didn’t explain the winners. Some high-authority domains experienced drops, including nytimes.com and nih.gov. Original sources gained while third parties dipped. For example, in the UK index, cambridge.org rose by 40.9% while the pronunciation tool youglish.com fell by 69.6%. The education category didn’t win or lose overall. What mattered was which source type fit the query.
UK results tilted toward local sites. Local retailers gained while the .com version of the same brand fell in the UK index. Amazon.co.uk rose by 21.3%, while amazon.com fell by 54.6% for UK users. In the US index, the same .com domains held roughly flat. This pattern lines up with earlier work from Solis. Her analysis of AI search clicks across 10 markets found most clicks going to local domains rather than global defaults. She suggests international sites check for wrong-market ranking and weak country-specific signals.
It wasn’t a blanket category story. The data doesn’t support reading any whole category as a winner or loser. Forums and Q&A sites pulled back, with reddit.com down 23.8% in the UK, but larger social and video platforms held flat to positive. Big marketplaces such as trip.com and indeed.com gained, so “aggregators lost” doesn’t hold either. Solis notes the forum pullback could be a durable correction or end-of-rollout volatility.
Why this matters. The takeaway is that authority may be too broad a comparison point on its own. For each query that matters, Solis suggests checking which result type gained after the update, then confirming your page is that type and not a weaker echo of a source that already owns it. Her read of May continues what she saw in the March core update, which she described as a move toward stronger default destinations.
Looking ahead. Google’s core update documentation recommends waiting at least a week after a core update completes before drawing conclusions from Search Console data, which puts the earliest clean read around June 9. Different tools measure visibility in different ways and can rank the same domains differently, so treat this as one early signal rather than a settled picture.
(Source: Search Engine Journal)
