Start with search evidence
Cloudflare requests are rising, but the more important job is to separate verified bots, probes, and real entry traffic before interpreting growth.
Without that split, every later content decision is built on noise.
Visibility is not demand
The useful question is not whether the page appeared somewhere; it is whether the search term, page promise, and next action fit the same reader job.
Check the page path
- Review verified bots, noisy status codes, homepage landing paths, and daily-page landing paths in the same operating sheet
- Keep the test narrow: one priority page with clear topic, source links, internal links, and a conversion action
What still needs proof
Treating bot volume as demand can push homepage and issue pages in the wrong direction. Keep the original source open so the announcement, the evidence, and this site's interpretation stay separate.