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Google\u2019s March 2026 core algorithm update concluded on April 8. The search giant doesn\u2019t provide recovery guidelines for businesses whose rankings have decreased. We\u2019re left with search-engine optimizers to create tactics that align with the winners to help losing sites maintain organic visibility.<\/p>\n
A just-published study<\/a> by SEO pro Cyrus Shepard of Zyppy Signal is an example. He analyzed organic search traffic of 400 winning and losing websites over the past 12 months and classified them by business model, content types, creator profiles, and other definable traits. From there, he identified five characteristics of winning sites.<\/p>\n Here are Cyrus\u2019s five features of sites that consistently maintain prominent organic rankings on Google.<\/p>\n Of the 400 analyzed sites, 92.9% of the winners own proprietary assets that are difficult to replicate, such as datasets, products, images, or studies.<\/p>\n For example, a fashion ecommerce site may use its user data to report trends in colors or seasonality. A site with extensive product reviews could repurpose them into shopping guides.<\/p>\n According to the study, 83.7% of winning websites help searchers do something: buy, download, or search.<\/p>\n Winning sites tend to help users accomplish whatever they\u2019re looking for. Losing sites may offer meaningful info on topics, but the searcher must go elsewhere to complete the task.<\/p>\n The solution may be a unique product or an interactive tool. For example, a tutorial site could offer interactive tools, quizzes, and workbooks to help students practice math.<\/p>\n Expertise within a niche was a trait of 75.9% of the winners.<\/p>\n Winning sites tend to focus on a topic in which they have deep knowledge and experience.<\/p>\n Those sites become go-to authorities for specialized subjects. Hyper-specific travel blogs, for example, often outrank global travel brands.<\/p>\n A unique product or service is a trait of 70.2% of sites that consistently rank well across core updates<\/a>. Cyrus\u2019s study found that informational sites (news publishers and affiliate sites) lost the most traffic and that offering a product may be the answer.<\/p>\n For example, a recipe site can sell a subscription meal plan, a book, or access to a private cooking community.<\/p>\n A strong brand, a destination site, was a trait of 32.6% of organic search winners. Cyrus found a high correlation between winning in organic search and having a strong profile of branded search<\/a> terms.<\/p>\n The more searchers query a business\u2019s name, the more that site is a destination and a strong signal to Google. Treat your brand search metrics as a key performance indicator, in other words.<\/p>\n I\u2019ll add one feature for 2026 that Cyrus doesn\u2019t address: sites that rank prominently in organic search offer something that AI cannot easily replicate<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nProprietary assets<\/h4>\n
Completes a task<\/h4>\n
Niche expertise<\/h4>\n
Unique product or service<\/h4>\n
Strong brand<\/h4>\n