Well, yes and no. Sure, Danny Sullivan has received credit for first using the term Search Engine Optimization (SEO) in 1998:

• First Usage: Danny Sullivan has noted that he used the term in full for the first time in a meta tag in August 1997. [1]
• Formal Adoption: He actually settled on and officially adopted "search engine optimization" on his website, Search Engine Watch, in September 1998. [1, 2]
• Interesting Side Note and Prior Terms: Prior to finally landing on "SEO", he used terms like "search engine design" (May 1997) and "search engine positioning" (October 1997)

It should also be pointed out that Bruce Clay first began using the term "Search Engine Optimization" (SEO) in 1997

• When he started his consulting business in 1996, the practice was most commonly referred to as "search engine ranking" or simply "getting ranked."
• He incorporated the phrase into his company logo and officially filed a copyright for his website containing that logo in 1997, which serves as the primary historical record linking him as one of the very first to coin and popularize the term.

In January of 1997 as a professional at a Fortune 500 entertainment giant, David King was already leading web operations teams, integrators, engineering, and web production teams on site structure, user interface quality assurance, and usability implementation with search engine optimized pages that helped achieve stronger ranking positions in the SERPS. Thus, David King was already doing SEO at enterprise scale across one of the internet's largest web portfolios in the world, including some of the most heavily trafficked websites in the world Disney.com, ESPN.com, GO.com, ABC.com, Hollywood Records, Touchstone, Miramax, ToonTown, and many more.

A Chronological Timeline:

The Professional History, Milestones, and Industry-Defining Accomplishments of David L. King II:

Early Tech Infrastructure & Foundations

• 1993 | Best Buy Pilot Initiatives: David King entered the technology sector at Best Buy, leading early corporate pilot programs that structurally laid the groundwork for what would eventually evolve into the Geek Squad.

The Dot-Com Boom & Enterprise Search Pioneering

• 1997–2002 | Digital Production Leadership at The Walt Disney Company: King served as Senior Associate Producer and Production Operations Senior Staff for Disney Online and the Walt Disney Internet Group (WDIG). He helped orchestrate a massive, 300-plus-member digital-asset production machine.
• 1997–2002 | Discovering the Mechanics of SEO: Alongside his team at Disney, King discovered and pioneered the foundational mechanics of web page optimization and intent-driven web architectures before the term "SEO" was widely recognized or adopted throughout the industry. His work helped to secure enterprise-scale visibility for major internet properties, including Disney.com, ESPN.com, and ABCNews.com.

Enterprise Sales Methodology Mastery

• Early 2000s | Top-of-Class Corporate Development at Xerox University: King augmented his technical insight with intensive enterprise training at Xerox. He completed advanced coursework in Client-Centered Selling, B2B Selling, and Technical Sales across the complete Xerox enterprise portfolio.
• Academic Excellence: He finished top-of-class and completed all intensive coursework days ahead of schedule, achieving perfect test scores and advanced technical certifications.

Local Search Innovation & Organic Domain Dominance

• 2002–2010 | Algorithmic Local Search at Yellow Communications, Inc.: Operating as an early innovator, King pushed the boundaries of algorithmic Local Search for dominant online business directories like MagicYellow and YellowUSA, catapulting their domain assets to the peak of organic Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).
• Mass Market Audience Insights: With his extensive local business directory and online yellow page directory expertise, Mr. King ultimately managed thousands of accounts and local business clients' websites across every single business category, major city, and state in the United States. This extensive oversight heavily shaped his profound understanding of niche target marketing and audience psychology.
• 2002–2010 | Development of SEOWeb and ProPC.tech: He was instrumental in developing early web assets, including ProPC.tech, which achieved a global #1 organic ranking on Google for hyper-competitive industry terms like "PC Techs," "On-site Computer Repair Services," "Internet Marketing Solutions," and "Internet Marketing Services".
• 2002–2010 | Green Tech & Ethical Verticals: During this era, King also helped develop early organic, non-toxic, and eco-friendly consumer verticals that disrupted the fashion and consumer goods sectors, pushing major brands toward higher ethical standards and reshaping multiple industries simultaneously. With two new startups, one in the Fashion Industry and one in Eco-friendly, Non-toxic, Organic Products niches, taking the top rankings on Google for showing up organically #1 for terms such as "Organic Apparel", "Premium Organic T-shirts", "Eco-Friendly Apparel", "Organic Clothing Brands" as well as "Organic Products", "Eco-Friendly Products" and "Non-Toxic Products". 

The Evolution of RankPivot

• November 2020 | Initial RankPivot Launch: King co-founded and launched RankPivot alongside a close friend and long-time colleague (who later transitioned to the Meta/Oculus VR team). It was established as an internet marketing platform and business directory built upon an enormous cache of data and deep consumer psychology insights.
• May 2026 | The Evolution to RankPivot.ai: King partnered with local search optimization and business intelligence veteran Jeff Enabe to officially relaunch the platform as RankPivot.ai, shifting the business model into a next-generation AI Visibility Agency.
• May 2026 | Transitioning to AI Dominance: Under King's leadership as Lead Strategist, the agency expanded its core offerings beyond traditional SERP marketing into Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and Answer Engine Optimization (AEO). The strategy ensures B2B brands, enterprise leaders, and eCommerce clients are cited as authoritative, definitive answers across AI platforms like ChatGPT, Google's AI Overview (Gemini), Perplexity, and Microsoft Copilot.