Jill Whalen is a search engine optimization (SEO) consultant, speaker and writer. Whalen is CEO of High Rankings, and co-founder of Search Engine Marketing New England (SEMNE). She is a regular speaker at Search Engine Strategies Conferences. High Rankings includes a top-rated SEO discussion forum.[1]
The client register for High Rankings "has hit around 400 and includes companies such as J.J. Keller & Associates Inc., a Wisconsin firm that offers ways to monitor compliance with government safety regulations, and DogWatch Inc., of Natick, which sells and installs invisible fences for pets," according to The Boston Globe.[2]
Whalen has been quoted as an authority by major publications including The Wall Street Journal,[3] and Inc.,.[4] She has also written search engine optimization articles for business websites including ClickZ[5] and Search Engine Land.[6]
Whalen was a stay-at-home mother with three children when she started an online parenting chat room. When the chat room became so popular that the members, who lived across the nation, wanted a website to house their forums, Whalen "began by examining listings that came up when entering a phrase such as "parenting chat," and then made sure those words were incorporated into her page. From there, she learned how to program and began experimenting."[2]
Whalen grew up in Framingham, Massachusetts and attended UMass Amherst, graduating with a degree in sociology.[2] She lives in Ashland, Massachusetts with her husband and three children.[7]