Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Several years ago, I took a Project Management class in Manhattan and the instructor was a retired fighter pilot who had flown for the US in Vietnam.   At some point during the course we were discussing problem solving and about the need to “think outside the box”. 

 

He told a story about a particular jet that wasn’t performing as expected.  Too many were being shot down – at least, more than what had been anticipated.   The damaged planes that made it back were analyzed by engineers.  After looking at the bullet holes and where the damage was concentrated, they decided to reinforce those areas with extra protection.    Unfortunately it didn’t seem to make a difference. There was no improvement. The engineers figured that more protection was needed but they couldn’t just keep on adding armor (it is a plane after all and it has to fly).   They were stumped. 

 

A decision was made to bring in other people to look at the planes – just to get a different perspective.   So they brought in accountants who counted all the holes and mapped their location.  Finally, this was their advice:   Don’t concentrate on the areas where there are bullet holes.  Instead look at the areas that are free from damage because planes that are getting hit there are not coming back.   It worked.

 

How is this story relevant to SEO?   I won’t pretend to be a SEO expert.  I’m sharing this story because there may be correlations between it and the type of thinking that many of us are engaged in on a daily basis. 

 

Just today, I got excited when I saw that a certain page on my website showed up in the top 5 results for a specific niche phrase.  My brain went into overdrive.  My first reaction was: “I’ve got to reinforce those keywords.”  But then I thought: “Why focus on words that are already producing hits?” And I answered myself:  “Well, because it’s easier – I know what they are and they work.”   I then remembered this story and I thought that the bullet holes were like keywords and that I was focusing on the obvious.  I shouldn’t be looking just at the words that came back but also at those that didn’t make it.

 

I don’t really have a conclusion.  :-)  Just food for thought.

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Brendita`s Body Works - Organic Skin & Hair Care Products

Thanks for sharing this story. Great analogy to remember...Keep doing what works while continually working to improve. As a website business owner, the challenge is to constantly strive to stay, not only up with, but ahead of internet changes. What worked even a month ago may be strangling my chance to succeed today. I find the trick to hold on to my niche is one thing, yet getting the word out to its exclusivity is greatest challenge.


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http://www.songofhealth.com