Why is it that every time you do a Google search for the service your business provides, your larger competitors are so far above you in the search results? Many small business owners assume that this is because the larger companies have huge advertising budgets, and so can pay a team of experts to manipulate Google's complex algorithms in their favor.

But it doesn't work quite that way. Yes, most large companies have huge advertising budgets and expert marketing teams, but they generally devote their energies to traditional advertising methods and other Web-based tactics -- not to search engines. Fortunately for the small business owner, search engines are the wave of the future, and a powerful tool for gaining ground on the competition.

Search engines are not set in stone -- they're dynamic and fluctuating. Sites like Google and Yahoo! are constantly monitoring Web traffic, and are always updating to generate the most relevant search results possible. Part of this process involves tracking "backlinks" -- basically, the number of times an external link to a site is clicked on -- and the more backlinks are associated with a Website, the higher the site will rise in search results. So, the search engine prominence of your large competitors is not the direct goal of any marketing tactic, but rather a convenient (for them) by-product of their expensive marketing efforts.

So, how can you, the small business owner, take advantage of this system? To put it simply, you must become an active participant in Web communities that relate to your field. Your Internet presence must expand as much as possible, far beyond your own remote corner of the Web.

You're probably aware of the vast number of online publications that focus on content relating to your field. If you follow this content, you've probably seen that most online articles include an "About the Author" box, which often contains a link to the author's Website. Practically every reader who enjoys an article will want to read more, and will inevitably follow the link found in the "About the Author" box.

By now, you're probably getting my drift. Yes, you can write articles relating to your field as well as anyone, and by doing so, you can have your own "About the Author" box popping up all over the Internet. Most online publications update so frequently that it can be tough for an individual to keep up. Fresh, high-quality content is always in demand.

Why not add your own voice into the mix? If you follow the above-mentioned Web publications in your field, you probably often read articles that you disagree with. Or maybe there are important issues that you don't see anyone writing about at all. You may not be a marketing expert, but you are an expert on something, and you can use this to build traffic to your site.

You know you can write informative articles -- it's simply a matter of putting in the time and effort. Once that is done, the good news is you don't have to scour the Internet for websites that can publish your articles. There are services that can do this for you. Google "article marketing," and you'll find some very helpful services charging low prices.

After you sign up for one of these services, they'll give you suggestions to make your articles perfect and publishable, and then they'll help you categorize your articles, so that the right online publishers will find you. Soon, if your articles are well-done and don't read like advertisements, you'll be earning the trust and respect of thousands of customers, and, just as important, working your way up in those Google search results.

Why not get started? Just take an hour or two and work on an article. Keep working every day, until you have a a good amount of content to submit to an article marketing service. Soon, you'll be building site traffic, and giving your larger competitors a run for their money.