I've written warning posts before about the ever increasing flood of large companies finally understanding the value of search marketing. What that means to small business owners is that even those lucky few that are still doing business in areas that are relatively non-competitive are about to see a shake-up in terms of competition. Just last year, SEMPO's annual survey showed that less than half of senior management was either "moderately" or "very" involved in search marketing. This year, that number has climbed to 90%. Even still, that doesn't necessarily spell trouble for small businesses...

While mid-sized and large sized businesses generally have more dollars to throw at a marketing channel, the simple fact that they HAVE senior management usually means that decisions are made slowly and new ideas take time to implement. Small businesses usually have less cash on hand, but are generally able to move more quickly in terms of implementing new ideas. Small businesses are also forced into being more responsible about their spending, meaning they have less time to simply throw money at a marketing channel without making sure that money is being spent effectively.

So even if you're "the little guy," don't let this new awareness of search marketing derail your plans. Just remember that old adage about working smarter rather than harder and remind yourself that a mouse does a much better job navigating obstacles than an elephant does.