Search volume is sometimes a bug report: Jono Alderson on misleading branded traffic
lilyraynyc · x · 2026-10-19
- Independent technical SEO consultant Jono Alderson argues that search volume doesn't always represent external demand — much of it is manufactured by a business's own poor customer experience.
- Queries like "how to cancel subscription," "customer service number," or "how pricing works" should be answerable on the company's own site; high search volume for them signals confusing pricing, hidden support, and painful cancellations.
- Treating such traffic as an opportunity misreads the signal: your best-performing keywords may actually be bug reports, and the fix is repairing the experience that created the demand. SEO veteran Lily Ray reshared with the quip "But my 'branded traffic' lol."
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