It’s with a heavy coronary heart that I’m reporting that one of many founding pillars of the search engine optimization trade, one of many first feminine SEOs in our trade, and one of many people who made the trade what it’s at present, has handed away. Jill Whalen retired from search engine optimization over a decade in the past, having gained her combat to make sure that SEOs prioritize content material over different elements.
Jill handed lower than two weeks in the past from an aggressive kind of most cancers. She was solely 63 years previous and survived a husband, kids and her stunning grandchildren. Whalen grew up in Framingham, Massachusetts and graduated from the College of Massachusetts Amherst with a level in sociology.
Jill began doing search engine optimization in 1995 and all the time championed the “white hat” trigger for her two-decade search engine optimization profession. For many years, Jill ran the Excessive Rating Boards and publication, spoke at numerous conferences and trade occasions and helped construct up this trade into a good and trustworthy enterprise. Actually, she is likely one of the only a few SEOs who’re notable sufficient to have her personal Wikipedia web page. In 2017, I wrote a brief piece of how the trade honored Jill, so make sure that to learn that as properly. The photograph above is one I took of her on stage at an SMX in 2009.
I requested two folks in our trade, who has labored with Jill from the early days, if I can share there posts from Fb.
Heather Lloyd-Martin wrote partially (hyperlink may not work):
I am gutted to study Jill Whalen handed away.
Jill and I bought our begin collectively within the search engine optimization world over 25 years in the past. She employed me as a copywriter, which ultimately developed into us writing the RankWrite Publication, the primary publication to debate content material and search engine optimization.
Jill was a pioneer.
This is my favourite Jill story about our first talking alternative collectively.
Think about this — the venue is the Royal Theatre Carré in Amsterdam, a ravishing, historic constructing. Folks from everywhere in the world packed the home. They even filmed the occasion and put it on-line — which, in 1999 (ish), was new and an enormous deal.So as to add to the anxiousness, there was a giant gong together with the stage. In case your speech ran additional time, somebody would ring the gong.
I consider this was Jill’s FIRST TIME ON A STAGE. And she or he rocked it!
Simply take into consideration that. Jill went from being a stay-at-home mother to talking on a global stage in entrance of lots of (perhaps 1000’s; it is all a blur now). That could be “regular” at present, however again then, what Jill did was revolutionary.
Jill was a trailblazer.
Many individuals within the search engine optimization trade can hint their success and lineage again to Jill and one thing they discovered from her. She welcomed new girls coming into our then-male-dominated trade, encouraging them to take the stage and set up their model. Hell, she even began her personal Excessive Rankings convention collection.
Jill was a badass.
When Jill retired from the search engine optimization trade, I used to be virtually…jealous. She left on the peak of the get together, deciding search engine optimization wasn’t enjoyable anymore, and it was time to maneuver on. But once more, she reworked her life by getting wholesome, singing karaoke, recording phrases of knowledge from her kayak, and having fun with life.
The lady I knew, who popped vegetable gummy nutritional vitamins as a result of she hated actual greens, was doing yoga, talking at 3P occasions, and had a weblog known as What Did You Do With Jill, reaching a brand new viewers of parents hungry for her knowledge.
Jill was a metamorphosis artist.
…
Maintain on to your family members tight, my pals. And to all my early days search engine optimization pals — if I have not advised you recently, I really like you all. Thanks for being a part of my life.
Relaxation in energy, my buddy.
Mike Grehan wrote partially (hyperlink may not work):
I’m so saddened to listen to simply at present that Jill Whalen has handed. She actually was the primary girl of search engine optimization. She and I grew to become large pals at first of the trade and remained so all through. We did not see one another a lot in any respect after she retired. However I stayed in contact and he or she had a complete new factor occurring dwelling in DC and was very glad. She by no means advised me that she was battling most cancers.
My ideas are together with her household. Jill was a singular voice within the search engine optimization trade again within the day. And we all the time appeared ahead to seeing one another on the many, many conferences we spoke at collectively. Thanks, Jill for the massive contribution and the fantastic friendship we had.
I am positive I’ve many pics of us collectively at conferences. That is the primary one I got here throughout. Me with Jill (left) and Scotty (proper) members of the unique SES Convention crew. We may all the time be discovered hanging on the bar for glad hour (and every other hour we fancied too). Fantastic occasions, and fantastic recollections.
RIP my buddy Jill.
And her daughter, Corie Stein wrote partially (click on by means of to learn the total submit):
After a quick however valiant battle with an particularly aggressive kind of most cancers, I’m devastated to share that my mother Jill handed away peacefully on June ninth. All the things occurred so quick, and it doesn’t really feel actual regardless of my intense involvement together with her care. My mother was within the midst of dwelling her greatest retired life with my dad, significantly as an “Amma” to Max, when this horrific illness struck her down just a little over three months in the past.
After I was rising up, she was a keep at dwelling mother. However I witnessed up shut how she grew to become an sudden but unbelievable entrepreneur. Within the 90s, she was on the forefront of what developed into Search Engine Optimization (search engine optimization). She is rightfully acknowledged as a pioneer in that subject, and I watched as the lady who was traditionally too shy to select up the cellphone was invited to talk at conferences everywhere in the world. And she or he did it. At one level, a number of years earlier than she retired from her wildly profitable profession working her firm Excessive Rankings, I bought to go together with her to the “Googleplex” in California. I nonetheless have the 2007 “Google Dance” t-shirt. Within the days earlier than she handed, she mirrored on and was very happy with that profession, as she ought to be.
Seems like a chaotic time to step in and share this, however I’ve been absent on right here currently as a result of, sadly, my mother @jillwhalen handed away this week after a brief however arduous fought battle with an particularly aggressive kind of most cancers. To say I’m devastated can be an understatement.…
— Corie Whalen (@CorieWhalen) June 14, 2025
I used to be deeply saddened to listen to at present concerning the passing of @jillwhalen earlier this month. Jill was a search pioneer and an unbelievable human being. I all the time loved my interactions together with her.
My honest sympathies to her daughter @CorieWhalen and the remainder of her household.
— Casey Markee (@MediaWyse) June 22, 2025
Jill was such a pioneer. That is so horrible to listen to.
— Danny Sullivan (@dannysullivan) June 22, 2025
Here’s a video Shelly Walsh had with Jill simply a few years in the past:
Thanks for all you’ve got executed for our trade Jill – you can be so so deeply missed.
Discussion board dialogue at Fb.
