I've known Bill for almost two decades beginning with our mutual membership in the WebmasterWorld forums, which preceded Twitter and Facebook. I always looked forward to reading his contributions to discussions on WebmasterWorld.

His blog became the go-to destination for reading about search engine patents. Bill did the heavy lifting of parsing what was in those patents and through his articles indirectly taught, by his example, how to review patents, teaching us the meaning of the words used in the technical descriptions, thereby teaching us a new language, the language of associated with the science of search.

Over the years we have enjoyed countless discussions with him, both in person and virtually, over the topic of search (as well as some industry gossip!). It's no exaggeration to say that one could spend hours speaking with Bill.

And the thing about speaking with Bill is that the conversation goes both ways, he is genuinely interested in hearing what YOU have to say.

Despite his achievements and standing in the search community, he is one of the most grounded and down to earth folks in the industry that I have ever met. Thus, speaking with Bill has always been a pleasure as his personal warmth and generosity of spirit invites you in.

It seemed to me that everyone "in the know" knew who I was. But it became apparent that the wider SEO community did not. So I decided to make my voice heard on a broader scale, which is why I started writing for Search Engine Journal.

Some might feel threatened to see someone else ascending in popularity but not Bill. Bill Slawski has been very supportive of me, both in person and online. In fact, when I started a newsletter many years ago, Bill Slawski was the first person to offer to contribute a testimonial.

I always look forward to seeing him at conferences and sharing a lunch or dinner together. His company is such a pleasure.