Analysis: Ask Leo! — 5,971 Articles, 4.3 Million Words, 22 Years

By the Numbers

The 8 Pillar Topics

1. Backup & Data Protection — 55,173 keyword hits (the #1 topic)

This is Ask Leo!’s beating heart. “Back up” appears 1,949 times. “Backing up” another 1,606. “Image backup” gets 1,315 mentions. “Back up your…” is the single most repeated piece of direct advice (239 occurrences). Backup isn’t just a topic — it’s a crusade. Macrium Reflect, EaseUS Todo, and system image backups are recurring fixtures. The topic has grown steadily over 22 years, from 2.14/1k words in the early era to 8.15/1k in 2015-2019, where it overtook everything else.

2. Email — 37,108 keyword hits

Email was the dominant topic in the early years (7.95/1k words in 2003-2006) and has never gone away. Spam, Outlook, Gmail, Hotmail, spoofing, hacked accounts — the full spectrum. The most internally-referenced email article: “Email Hacked? 7 Things You Need to Do Now.” Email declined proportionally as backup and passwords rose, but stabilized in the modern era at 7.51/1k — people still have email problems, and probably always will.

3. Windows — 40,292 keyword hits

“Windows” appears 21,842 times — the single most common word in the entire corpus. The coverage tracks Windows’ own evolution: XP tips in the early files, Vista and 7 in the middle, 10 and 11 dominating the modern era. Windows peaked as a topic proportion during the Mature era (2015-2019, 9.33/1k words) as Windows 10 launched and generated confusion.

4. Passwords & Account Security — 27,565 keyword hits

The sharpest upward trend in the entire corpus: 0.99/1k words in the early years → 3.91/1k in 2020-2025. “Password” appears 6,833 times. “Use a password manager” is stated 51 times as direct advice. Two-factor authentication is mentioned 1,168 times. The most-referenced related articles: password vault recommendations and “Why Any Two-Factor is Better Than No Two-Factor at All.”

5. Security & Malware — 17,095 keyword hits

“Malware” alone: 4,429 mentions. “Security”: 4,343. This was highest in the Growth era (2007-2010, 4.77/1k) when spyware and rogue antivirus programs were rampant, and has settled into a steady baseline. Key subthemes: ransomware (don’t pay the ransom), rogue security software, and the recurring advice to “run anti-malware.”

6. Networking & Internet — 23,933 keyword hits

Dominant in the early days (5.16/1k words, 2003-2006) when people were figuring out Wi-Fi, routers, and speed auto-detection. Has declined steadily as networking has become more reliable and invisible. Still present but less of a crisis topic — the infrastructure just works better now.

7. Cloud Services — rising from 0.64 to 4.62/1k words

The second-sharpest growth trend after passwords. OneDrive alone appears 2,876 times. “The Problem with OneDrive Backup” is the 4th most internally-linked article on the site. Dropbox, Google Drive, and cloud storage security are regular fixtures in the modern era. Cloud has gone from barely mentioned to a top-five topic.

8. Scams & AI — the emerging topics

Scams have tripled in mention rate (0.25 → 0.66/1k). AI content is new but already significant — and notably, the most-read AI articles are about removing Copilot, not embracing it. “How Do I Get Rid of Copilot?” and “How Do I Get Rid of Copilot Everywhere?” are the top AI-tagged articles. Readers want AI explained, but they also want it out of their way when they didn’t ask for it.

Thematic Evolution

The story of Ask Leo! is the story of computing itself: from networks and email in 2003, through the malware wars of 2007-2010, into the cloud/password/backup trifecta that dominates today.

Leo’s Core Commandments (The Gospel of Ask Leo!)

Ranked by frequency of direct advice:

1. Back up your computer (239 direct instances of “back up your…”)
2. Don’t trust unsolicited messages/calls/links (157)
3. Be skeptical (106)
4. Don’t click on suspicious links (86)
5. Encrypt your data/drives (76)
6. Check for updates (64)
7. Don’t open unknown attachments (58)
8. Use a password manager (51)
9. Use a VPN on public Wi-Fi (51)
10. Use two-factor authentication (39)
11. Create an image backup (39)

If Ask Leo! had a Ten Commandments, “Thou shalt back up” would be the first, second, and third.

The Voice: What Makes Ask Leo! Distinctive

The communication style markers tell the story:

• 141,434 instances of direct address (you/you’re/your) — this is a conversation, not a lecture
• 79,988 instances of first person (I/I’m/I’ve) — Leo is present, personal, accountable
• 13,529 hedges (perhaps/probably/might) — honest about uncertainty rather than faking omniscience
• 827 “in other words” — constant re-explanation, restating the same thing a different way until it clicks
• 549 “bottom line” — always drives to the actionable takeaway

Signature phrases that define the voice:

The 4:1 ratio of “good news” to “bad news” is revealing. Ask Leo! doesn’t sugarcoat — “unfortunately” appears 1,483 times — but it consistently points toward the solution rather than dwelling on the problem.

Most-Referenced Articles (Leo’s Greatest Hits)

The articles linked to most often internally reveal what Leo considers foundational knowledge — the pieces he sends readers to over and over:

These form the Ask Leo! canon — the essential reading list that underpins thousands of individual answers.

How Question Patterns Have Shifted

The 5,971 titles break down into clear question types:

The shift from reader-submitted “How do I…” questions (dominant in the early years) to proactive “Tip of the Day” content (dominant in the modern era) marks a fundamental evolution: Ask Leo! started as a reactive Q&A site and has become a proactive education platform — still answering questions, but increasingly anticipating them.

The Unified Picture

Ask Leo! across 22 years and 4.3 million words is a single, sustained argument: technology is not as scary as you think, but it does require that you take a few things seriously. Back up. Use strong, unique passwords with a vault. Turn on two-factor. Be skeptical of anything unsolicited. Keep your software updated. Encrypt what matters.

The voice delivering that argument is patient, direct, honest about bad news, and relentlessly focused on what the reader can do about their situation. It uses “unfortunately” 1,483 times but “the good news” four times more often than “the bad news.” It says “it depends” 387 times because the truth usually does. It says “I recommend” 697 times because it’s willing to take a position — and “I strongly recommend” 118 times when it really matters.

The site has evolved alongside computing itself — from network speed auto-detection and Windows XP tips to cloud backup strategies and Copilot removal guides — but the core message has never changed: take responsibility for your digital life, and the tools to do so are simpler than you fear.