Bill has been a tireless chronicler of Google's patents, and his keen eye/filter for patents that will have significant impact, and translation of the dense legalese in which they're often written, has proven invaluable to me as I've tried to understand some of Google's longest-standing logic and longest-term goals in search.

More than that, I had the pleasure of meeting Bill at an early PubCon (early for me...2007?), not long after I discovered SEO by the Sea, and have bumped into him at a handful of conferences since. He could not have been a nicer, more down-to-earth guy even to a complete novice. He also kindly keynoted one of our earliest Local U events which raised the credibility not just of that particular event in Baltimore but gave future keynote speakers the confidence of accepting our requests to speak!

Bill, you've advanced an entire industry with the knowledge you've shared, and you have indirectly had a real impact on the fortunes of so many small businesses across the world as they've increased their customer bases through SEO. I know we are all wishing you the speediest of recoveries!