A new analysis from SEO researcher Cyrus Shepard suggests that websites with proprietary assets were far more common among traffic winners around Google’s March 2026 core update than among losers. In a dataset of more than 400 websites, proprietary assets ranked third among five measured traits associated with stronger traffic outcomes. The finding does not prove that an original asset causes rankings to rise, but it adds useful evidence for businesses seeking a more resilient search strategy.
Shepard, founder of Zyppy, published the analysis in April 2026 using Ahrefs third-party traffic estimates over a 12-month period. The Zyppy Signal study on websites winning Google in 2026 compares sites that gained traffic with those that lost it and makes its dataset publicly available. Its central message is broader than any single ranking factor: sites that offer something tangible, help visitors complete a task, and contribute information that competitors cannot easily duplicate appeared more often among the winners.
That is particularly relevant after a volatile core update. Publishing more generic pages may increase a site’s page count, but it does not necessarily create a reason for Google or a searcher to prefer that site over many similar alternatives. An owned asset can.
What the Zyppy analysis found
The study identified five features that correlated with traffic gains or losses. The strongest measured trait was offering a product or service, followed by allowing task completion. Proprietary assets came third, with a correlation of 0.357.
| Trait measured in the study | Correlation | Traffic winners | Traffic losers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offers a product or service | 0.391 | 70.2% | 34.6% |
| Allows task completion | 0.381 | 83.7% | 50.2% |
| Proprietary assets | 0.357 | 92.9% | 57.1% |
| Tight topical focus | 0.250 | 75.9% | 61.3% |
| Strong brand | 0.206 | 32.6% | 16.1% |
The contrast for proprietary assets is notable: 92.9% of winners had them, compared with 57.1% of losers. However, these figures are correlations, not a confirmed description of Google’s ranking system. The dataset relies on estimated traffic rather than site owners’ analytics, and websites can share several of these traits at once. A company with a useful original tool may also have a clearer product offering, stronger brand, and tighter subject focus.
Why proprietary assets can differentiate a website
A proprietary asset is something a business owns or creates that is not readily reproduced by rewriting public information. Depending on the company, that could include original data collected through its operations, a calculator based on its expertise, a directory it maintains, research, a unique workflow tool, or other first-party resources.
The study’s discussion connects this kind of differentiation with the idea of information gain. In practical terms, a page has more potential value when it adds material a reader cannot find in dozens of interchangeable articles. That does not establish information gain as a separately measured Google ranking signal in this research. It is a useful way to understand why an original asset may make a page more distinctive.
For businesses, the question is not simply, “What keywords should we cover?” It is, “What useful information, functionality, or evidence can only we provide?” A content strategy built around that question can create pages with a clearer purpose than broad, undifferentiated educational content.
Building assets around real customer work
The most practical starting point is often a repeated customer question, decision, or manual process. A business should look for areas where it already has legitimate knowledge, records, or operational experience, then decide whether that material can become a useful public resource.
Possible directions include:
- Turning recurring calculations into a simple tool or estimator.
- Publishing original research drawn from a clearly defined internal dataset.
- Creating a maintained resource that helps customers compare options or complete a task.
- Documenting specialist processes with evidence, templates, or practical guidance that generic pages cannot provide.
The asset must remain genuinely useful. A thin calculator, a static dataset with no clear methodology, or a downloadable file that duplicates common advice is unlikely to create meaningful differentiation simply because it has been labeled proprietary.
Connecting assets to business value
The Zyppy study also found that offering a product or service and enabling task completion had the two highest correlations. That makes a useful planning lens: an owned asset should not sit apart from the business if it can naturally help a visitor understand an offering, solve an immediate problem, or take a next step.
This does not mean every asset must be gated or treated as a lead form. In many cases, its value may be in attracting relevant visitors, demonstrating expertise, and making a service easier to evaluate. The appropriate return on investment depends on the cost to build, maintain, and update the asset, as well as whether it supports a meaningful customer need.
A sensible approach is to define the intended outcome before investing. That could be helping a visitor complete a task, improving a service page with original evidence, or supporting a focused set of high-value topics. Then measure outcomes using the business’s own analytics and commercial data, rather than assuming third-party visibility estimates tell the full story.
Google’s updates make durable differentiation more important than publishing interchangeable content at scale. GEO Search Leads helps businesses identify where their site needs stronger, more distinctive evidence and where search visibility can be improved across AI-driven discovery. Its work can help turn existing expertise, data, and customer knowledge into assets that support qualified demand instead of more generic pages. Request an AI search visibility audit for your website today.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did the Zyppy study find about proprietary assets?
In Zyppy’s analysis of more than 400 websites, proprietary assets had a 0.357 correlation with traffic outcomes. They appeared on 92.9% of traffic winners and 57.1% of traffic losers.
Do proprietary assets guarantee better Google rankings?
No. The study reports correlations, not causation. It also uses Ahrefs traffic estimates over a 12-month window, so it cannot prove that proprietary assets alone caused traffic gains.
What were the strongest traits in the March 2026 core update analysis?
Offering a product or service had the highest correlation at 0.391, followed by allowing task completion at 0.381. Proprietary assets ranked third at 0.357.
What is information gain in this context?
Information gain describes the value of adding material that is not readily available from many competing pages. In the study’s broader discussion, it helps explain why original assets may make a website more distinctive, but it was not a separately measured ranking factor.
Conclusion
Zyppy’s analysis does not reveal a single formula for surviving a Google core update. It does, however, quantify a meaningful pattern: websites with proprietary assets appeared much more often among traffic winners. Businesses should treat that as a reason to invest in useful, ownable resources that reflect real expertise and help visitors accomplish something, while evaluating results through their own data.
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