Earlier today Matt McGee made an announcement on Small Business SEM indicating that his two month stint as an independent contractor has come to a close…

This is just a quick post to say that I’ve accepted a position as Director of Strategic Search with KeyRelevance. I’ve known Christine Churchill, Bill Slawski, and Li Evans for years and consider them friends. Now, I get to work with them and the rest of the terrific KeyRelevance team! Very, very cool. (More)

M2 is one of my favorite people. Ever. Just look here in case I haven’t described Matt’s impact on me both personally and professionally. Underneath this great news for Matt and KeyRelevance though comes another newsworthy item… Christine has assembled one of the best SEO teams in the industry. While it’s still early, I’d lean in favor of KR for having one of the most seasoned and talented SEO teams out there.

Earlier tonight I was talking about this move by M2 with Search Engine Journal’s Loren Baker. He simply stated what many have been thinking… “What a line up!” What’s more scary is that with the team in place, there’s no weak link or obvious gaps to fill. Li, Bill and Matt clearly know their stuff and can easily put KeyRelevance in a market leading position.

Original Photo via M2s Flickr Photostream

As one of the best SEO people I know, I can say confidently that Matt deserves the absolute best. Christine Churchill summed it up best with comments found in today’s press release:

“In addition to being a first class SEO, Matt is one of the most positive people I’ve ever known,” added Churchill. “He infuses the element of fun into the workplace.”

Well said Christine and again, congratulations Matt!