10 SEO Heroes

Someone at a recent presentation asked me for a list of my SEO heroes. I didn’t have a good list for her on the spur of the moment, but I’m going to share a list here today. A client once said, “You are my SEO super hero!” so I’m using a picture of some SEO superheroes just for amusement. SEO heroes don’t really use super powers, and they probably don’t even wear capes.

But the audience member asked, “Who inspires you?” Great question, so here’s my list, in no particular order.

1. My first SEO hero is Gillian Muessig. I had the pleasure of meeting her a couple of years ago, and of hearing her speak. She’s an inspiring woman. Not only does she know all about SEO, but she also has more wise words about women in business than anyone else I’ve ever heard.
2. Next up is Rand Fishkin, Gillian’s son and the face of Moz.com, which is probably the best source of SEO info on the web. I wrote an essay there years ago when I first started freelance work, and got a job offer in the comments. Gotta love a community like that.
3. Larry Kim of Wordstream is an engineer and his focus is on paid search, but he writes inspiring things about SEO, and Wordstream is a good place to go for inspiration. I wrote a guest post over there a long time ago, too.
4. Avinash Kaushik of Occam’s Razor is everyone’s analytics hero, right? He’s extremely knowledgeable, very generous with information, and an excellent writer.
5. Guy Kawasaki is a hero of mine, just in general. He’s smart and talented and kind, which ought to be a common combination, but isn’t always. Kawasaki’s position on SEO is simple: write good stuff and trust Google to do its job. You can read an intriguing discussion between Kawasaki and “drooling fanboy” Fishkin in an excellent capture of a Google + conversation.
6. Bill Slawski of SEO by the Sea (I just discovered that it’s in Cardiff by the Sea, where I lived as a child) shares so much intense SEO data you won’t believe it.
7. Ann Smarty knows SEO as well as content marketing. She has several websites: Google her and you will find a wealth of great advice. She also gave me encouragement when I was starting out, which is an exciting thing for a hero to do.
8. Neil Patel is a very impressive guy. Click through to his blog to see how impressive, because he will tell you. He is not shy. While you’re there, read his practical, well-supported blog posts. I subscribe and I go read his post every time a new one shows up in my mailbox.
9. Derek Edmond is another great SEO blogger. I know nothing about him beyond his blog posts, but I know that they are worth reading.
10. I also want to include Rae Hoffman, aka SugarRae. SEO isn’t her main focus, but she knows what she’s talking about. She also has a sassy attitude toward life and business which I enjoy. This post at her blog from 2010 still comes to my mind every now and then.

Looking for more SEO blogs? Check out the list at Alltop.