With the Google Core Update May 2026 rolled out on 21st May, all platforms were full of the ” SEO is Finally Dead” conversation. Like many, I assumed it was the reason for the traffic going down on Deasily.
Like many website owners, I read discussions across forums and communities where site owners reported ranking drops and zero clicks.
Hence, I wondered whether Google had penalized my site as it had done to others.
After looking into my site’s Search Console data, I realized something surprising:
The May 2026 Core Update wasn’t my biggest problem. This article highlights the impact of the Google Core Update May 2026 on this site and my observations.
Table of Contents
Deasily’s Performance Statistics Before and After Google Core Update May 2026
Over the last three months, Google Search Console reported:
- Impressions: 9.93K
- Clicks: 6 total
- Average CTR: 0.1%
- Average position: 66.4
At first glance, these statistics seem disappointing, but there’s a different angle to the story.
Instead of declining after Google’s May Core Update, impressions actually increased throughout April and May. Google continued showing Deasily’s content for relevant search queries.
In fact, visibility improved, but the problem wasn’t visibility.
The problem was rankings.
What I Expected to See?
I was expecting a negative impact on my site, including:
- A sharp drop in impressions.
- Keyword ranking out of 100.
- De-indexed pages.
- Zero clicks.
These are some signs of a website getting hit by the Google Core Update. Instead, my Search Console graph showed a gradual increase in impressions over time.
Looking at this gave me a sigh of relief.
Which Popular Queries Were Generating Impressions For Deasily?
SEO is the most searched keyword on Google Trends. Because this has built topical authority with fewer posts, it wasn’t hit by the core update. Here are some keywords for which Deasily is getting more impressions:
- Free AI SEO tools.
- Best free AI SEO tools.
- Free AI tools for SEO.
- Best free SEO AI tools.
These are gem keywords.
They are also extremely competitive, so you cannot expect too many clicks.
For these searches, Deasily.com was competing against established websites with years of authority, backlinks, and brand recognition.
High authority site examples include:
- Semrush
- Ahrefs
- Surfer SEO
- HubSpot
- Search Engine Journal
- Backlinko
Ranking against these websites is difficult for any new content site.
Did Google’s May 2026 Core Update Penalize Deasily.com?
After closely looking at the search console data, I don’t think it got penalized.
If the site had been actually hit by the update, I would expect to see:
- Declining impressions.
- Fewer keyword visibility.
- Reduced or zero clicks.
Instead, impressions continued to rise.
Google is still crawling my site and showing results in the SERPs, but there’s one issue.
Google is willing to show the site content, but is not convinced to show it on the first page. This might be because the site is very new (low DA) and has only 5 posts (less authority). Another reason is that the site is competing with high-authority sites for SEO related keywords.
What the Data Suggests Instead?
After reviewing the statistics, I can conclude that:
1. Google Understands the Topic
The site consistently appears in the SERPs for AI SEO-related queries. This suggests Google understands how the site is niche-focused and building topical authority.
Now, that’s a positive signal.
2. Rankings Are the Real Challenge
An average position of 66.4 means most of the articles appear well beyond the first page of results. Even with thousands of impressions, clicks are inferior because users hardly go to the 2nd page of Google.
3. Authority Matters More Than Ever
Many target keywords are dominated by brands with:
- High domain and page authority.
- Strong backlink profiles.
- AI-optimized and audience-first content.
- High topical authority.
The challenge is not indexing. The challenge is trust.
4. Generic Keywords Face Strong Competition
Popular SEO-related keywords are saturated with comparison articles.
Publishing another “best AI tool” article doesn’t make any sense. Instead, the content must offer real use cases and guides explaining complex setup processes.
Did AI-Generated Content Cause the Problem?
Many SEO, affiliate marketers, and webmasters are still not clear about Google’s stance on AI-generated content.
Based on Google’s ranking signals, there is no evidence that Google is directly penalizing AI-generated content. However, Google has always emphasized E-EAT signals and audience-first content that brings real experience to users.
Quality of content matters more than ever.
If your content has real data insights, shows your research and experience with testing screenshots, it has a much stronger chance of getting clicks and not just impressions. If you do this, Google won’t worry about AI-generated content and will keep ranking your content at the top.
What I’m Changing on Deasily.com?
I plan to focus on:
- Research and Testing AI Tools
- Showcasing Real Case Studies
- Focus on AI Search Optimization
- Experience-Based Reviews
- Build Topic Clusters and Focus on Niche Content
Conclusion: The Biggest Lesson
After the Google Core Update May 2026, I realized that Google is already showing the site content. The real challenge is creating AI-optimized content by injecting my experience that will shift the content from page 10 to page 1.
I would focus on building authority, publishing more original insights, and creating content that deserves to rank above established competitors.
I want to make Deasily, the best place to find digital marketing tools easily, and the journey has just begun.
FAQs | Impact of Google Core Update May 2026
When did the Google May Core Update start and end?
The Google May 2026 core update started on 21 May and ended on 02 June.
What’s happening with the Google search?
At the Google I/O conference, Google announced that it will globally experiment with its AI Overviews.
Will SEO be dead after AI Overviews?
No, SEO will never be dead, but sites now have to optimize their content for AI overviews and not just traditional SEO.