tedster - 7:05 pm on Jul 6, 2010 (gmt 0)

From my contacts with Google people, I don't think that's the way it is. More so than many large successful companies, there is sensitivity to their effect on the smaller businesses who are essentially supported by Google.

For example, for many years there has been a special "Mom & Pop boost" to help small business compete with the big guys. And there's also the "honeymoon period" for many new sites, right when they launch.

Also, I do not suggest ppc as a way to help Google's own income - you can use ANY ppc or ad services you want to drive income during a down time. If you are running a business with many employees, then a loss of revenue can challenge your survival, or at least the welfare of a number employees. In my view, it is only good business planning to have a contingency plan for dealing with this kind of thing.