18 popular searches to solve software problems

This morning my wife came to me asking for help with an error using her work computer.

When I saw the error code my first reaction was to type it in Google. The search results included millions of entries in forums with answers that did not help. The error message was very generic and not very helpful. So my wife called the Help Desk and they suggested to turn the computer off and on again. What for are they there if they wouldn't suggest that?. It did not solve the problem, but at least my wife could have a short brake while the computer was rebooting.

At the same time, I was working defining some error codes and messages for our applications and I started wondering, why users have to deal with all these strange error messages? Are users really looking for solutions when they see these errors? Or do they just ignore them?

Looking for answers, I turned to Google AdWords, keyword tool to see the most common search patterns, in order to analyse how users are searching for errors in the Internet. I must say I am really surprised. Here it is a list of popular error related searches:

1. Error Code: Yes, people actually search for this keyword. How many times? 1.5 millions times a day!
2. Fatal Error: People search for fatal errors 673 thousands times a day.
3. SQL Error: Apparently people have many problems with databases. There are 550 thousands searches a day.
4. Error Message: People might think that there are just a few error messages around. Otherwise there is no justification for 450 thousands searches a day using this keyword.
5. Error Fix: I love optimistic people, why to look for an error if what you want is a solution? People searches this keyword 368 thousands a day.
6. HTTP Error: Another absolutely vague keyword, but pretty popular. It is searched 368 thousands times a day.
7. DNS Error: People also search 368 thousands times a day for this keyword.
8. Unknown error: I've always say that people don't know what they really want. This keyword also comes with 368 thousands searches a day.
9. Syntax error: Syntax errors in a production system? It looks like there are plenty of them, if we think in the 301 thousands searches per day.
10. Java error: It is searched 201 thousands times a day.
11. DLL Not found: I've seen this one before. It is searched 165 thousands times a day.
12. Internal server error: It is searched 165 thousands times a day
13. Out of memory error: Searched 90500 times a day.
14. Software error: It is searched 74 thousands times a day.
15. Youtube error: People love videos, don't they? Otherwise why would people search for this keyword 60500 times a day?
16. Windows Installer error: Yes, Windows gives problems since the very beginning. People search 60500 times a day for this keyword.
17. Checksum error: With 49500 searches a day seems to be a pretty popular problem.
18. Error code 0: Nice one. It is searched about 49500 times per day as well

And the list could continue forever...

As a developer, I could find very stupid to search for the keyword "error code" trying to find the solution to a problem, but this list shows that users apparently don't think in the same way.

Developers, with myself included, should start thinking that software must be adapted to fit users behaviour and not in the other way around. Now I have to go and explain to my mother what the message "error code 0x80070002" means.

How do you look for solutions? Please let me know your comments.