Mr. Simmonds was responsible for building About.com into the most successful search engine optimized content network on the Internet. Acquired in March, 2005 by The New York Times he was named chief search strategist and is responsible for strategic initiatives, maximizing traffic and search engine exposure for NYTimes.com, Boston.com, IHT.com and About.com.

In addition to his work with The Times, he co-founded DEFINE SEARCH STRATEGIES, an enterprise search consulting business, funded by The New York Times Company. Most recently he created SearchCLU the network diagnostic and search engine optimization tool.

He currently advises and sets search strategy for companies such as Hearst Digital Publications, Time Inc Interactive, ESPN International, and TVGuide.