Big guys have to be all things to all people. Little guys don’t. That’s your advantage. It is possible, although more difficult than it used to be, for small websites to compete and rank better than the large well known sites. The trick is to shrink your world, focus and do what you do better and faster than anyone else.

When asked this question recently, Google’s Matt Cutts said, “Over and over again, we see the sites that are smart enough to be agile, and be dynamic, and respond quickly, and roll out new ideas much faster than these sort of lumbering, larger sites, can often rank higher in Google search results.”

Think local and be local. It used to be that the best thing the Internet did was instantly make you a worldwide company. Anyone could find you and buy your services. That is still true, but many small businesses can take advantage of the emphasis Google places on local search to beat the big guys at their own game. If you are looking for a SEO firm in Denver, you want a list of local SEO companies in the Denver area not in Timbuktu. Google is better able to detect when both search queries and information are local to the user and rewards local information in their search algorithm.

Focus on your niche. Focus on the details customers in your niche care most about. Combine information in a more meaningful way.   Connect the dots and avoid details that your niche doesn’t care about.

Faster is better. Small sites have the advantage of being able to adjust and respond much faster than larger sites. Just like a sailboat can turn more quickly than a luxury liner. Make sure you are also presenting information that matches the way people in your niche think and process information. Make their work or play something they can, and want to check quickly and often. And, make your site loads faster, Google likes that.

Create a great mobile experience. The world is mobile and optimizing your site for mobile will give you a leg up on your competition.

Presentation matters. Sometimes research is poorly presented and hard to find. Repackaging and repurposing existing public data and research in a way that speaks to your niche can give you the advantage. Do it better and people will take notice.