The Unscripted SEO Interview Podcast

Benas Leonavicius
Freelance SEO Consultant & Agency Builder
Website | LinkedIn | Substack

Benas Leonavicius has spent 10 years in the SEO trenches—from working with large e-commerce sites to navigating the bureaucratic nightmare of enterprise SaaS SEO. Now he's building an agency focused on keynote speakers, authors, and coaches, where basic SEO fundamentals deliver outsized results.

In this conversation, we dive deep into:

Why AI search optimization is the new frontier (and why tracking is nearly impossible)

How to actually appear in ChatGPT and AI overviews

The shift from website-centric to entity-centric SEO

Why SaaS companies are terrible clients for freelance SEO scalability

The #1 thing keynote speakers get wrong (hint: they don't mention their keywords)

Whether new people should enter SEO in 2025

If you're a freelancer trying to scale, a speaker trying to get found, or anyone wondering how AI is changing search—this episode is for you.

Key Topics Discussed

AI Search Optimization (11:11 - 21:03)

The biggest challenge with AI search: tracking is nearly impossible

How ChatGPT and Perplexity source their answers (training data + tiered Google searches)

Why speaker bureaus and listicles dominate AI search results for keynote speakers

The 25% consistency problem: AI gives different answers to different users

Backlinks, PR, mentions, and social media as the foundation of AI visibility

How to reverse-engineer AI sources by simply asking ChatGPT what it referenced

The SaaS SEO Nightmare (03:47 - 07:34)

Why SaaS companies limit freelancer scalability (1-2 clients max per month)

The JIRA ticket trap: submitting tickets just to edit meta descriptions

Managing multiple stakeholders with competing priorities

How product changes constantly disrupt long-term SEO strategy

Why Benas stopped taking SaaS clients despite their lucrative budgets

Keynote Speaker SEO Opportunities (02:14 - 03:47, 25:19 - 28:10)

Why 90% of speakers have zero SEO optimization

The differentiation trap: avoiding keywords to sound unique

The highest ROI fix: adding proper meta titles with target keywords

Why speakers already have strong websites—they just don't know it

Talk Thrive Agency: Benas's keynote speaker SEO service

Content vs. Links vs. Technical SEO (07:34 - 09:07)

Why Benas focuses on on-page content optimization

Link building feels "solved" and basic in 2025

Technical SEO's limitations for most businesses

Finding the middle ground between all three domains

AI Content Creation Reality Check (09:07 - 11:11)

ChatGPT as "your most popular but least trained customer support rep" (Matt Brooks, SEOteric)

Why Benas doesn't jump on new AI tools immediately

Using AI as a brainstorming and first draft tool, not a final solution

The hallucination and authenticity problem with over-reliance

Entity SEO vs. Website SEO (15:21 - 20:08)

How LLMs use training databases and tiered search results

Getting third-party content ranked, even when it's not on your site

Why digital visibility is shifting from website-centric to entity-centric

Direct traffic increasing as people find brands through AI, not clicks

Impressions mattering more than clicks (the Instagram-ification of search)

Should You Freelance in SEO Today? (21:03 - 23:24)

Why...

Summary

In this episode of the Unscripted SEO podcast, Keith Breseé and Cauveé, the inspiration engineer, delve into the intricacies of content marketing. They discuss the importance of platforms like Substack and Beehive for community building, the necessity of finding one's niche, and the long-term strategies required for effective content creation. The conversation also covers the significance of understanding market gaps, leveraging influencer marketing, and the role of paid advertising. Additionally, they emphasize the importance of crafting effective hooks, storytelling, and utilizing AI tools for content creation. The episode concludes with insights on building relationships and the long game in personal branding.

 

Takeaways

Substack is a powerful tool for building a community.

Decide whether to follow trends or focus on your passion.

Always provide value in your content to generate leads.

Content creation is a long-term commitment.

Reverse engineer your content strategy from your goals.

Understand your market and conduct competitor analysis.

Influencer marketing can significantly boost visibility.

Paid advertising can help in gaining traction.

Mastering hooks and storytelling is crucial for engagement.

Building relationships is key to long-term success.

What happens when a marketing coach who's also an actor sits down to talk about authenticity in business? You get one of the most unfiltered conversations about trust, AI, and human connection in marketing that we've had on this show.

Kyle Merrick doesn't pull punches. As the founder of Anarchy For A Day and a marketing veteran with nearly a decade of agency experience, he's seen it all—and he's not afraid to call BS on what's broken in modern marketing.

In this episode, we dive deep into the tension between performance and authenticity, why AI-generated content is killing trust, and how businesses can differentiate themselves in commodified markets. Kyle brings a unique perspective as both a marketer and an actor, understanding how to build believability while staying within boundaries.

This conversation gets heated, philosophical, and practical all at once. If you're tired of the same sanitized marketing advice, this episode is for you.

Key Topics Discussed

Trust & Authenticity in Marketing (00:00-10:02)

Why marketers have a trust problem

The challenge of discerning real vs. fake in the digital age

How social media has groomed us to accept mixed messages

The importance of delivery over content

AI vs. Human Connection (10:02-22:31)

Why AI-generated marketing content fails to build trust

The role of podcasting as a "safe space" for authentic conversation

How LLM tools confidently lie (and why that's dangerous)

The laziness trap: when efficiency kills effectiveness

The Coloring Book Analogy (22:31-27:39)

Finding authenticity within corporate boundaries

How to differentiate without going "cray-cray"

Showing customer pain points authentically

The golden rule applied to business communication

Market Understanding & Differentiation (27:39-37:23)

Why most businesses don't truly understand their marketplace

How to differentiate in commodified industries

The importance of speaking your customer's language

Interviewing clients as a core marketing strategy

Consistency & Long-Term Thinking (37:23-40:15)

Why consistency beats overnight success

How search engines and humans reward sustained effort

Understanding where your audience actually spends time

Building trust through reliable, authentic communication

Notable Quotes

"No marketer is really trustworthy until you actually get to know them. So I'm not even going to try to pitch myself on that."

"I don't give a shit about anything your business has to say if you're using AI. Let me see the people behind it, even if they're paid actors."

"Human to human podcast. This is the very important bit."

"Having been in business for myself for a decade now, it's like, this is the only kind of conversation I actually value because I know it's real, because you can sense the pain behind my words."

"People don't truly understand their marketplace. Go talk to the people that you're trying to serve or provide solutions to or sell a product to, whatever. Get to know them, their world."

"I always think about it like a coloring book. The lines are really what is within bound and reason for what is going to be believable."

"If you want real conversation, dish it out. Maybe that's the best answer to how can we get more genuine conversation in corporate marketing. Fucking do it. It ain't that hard."

"Business is still human. And if we're not accounting for that human factor, I wish you the best."

"Consistency is key. You need to be doing it a while for these different robotic entities to deem, 'All right, well, you're human and you do this.'"
...

Charlie Sells brings 15 years of experience in brand messaging and positioning to discuss how small businesses can cut through complexity and build authentic brands that show up in search.

Key Topics Covered

Service Business Branding Charlie explains why service-based businesses should "stay hyper local" rather than trying to compete regionally. His advice for finding your competitive advantage? "Don't try to be bigger. Don't try to be flashier. Don't try to be anything other than who you are."

Working with a Florida event staffing company, Charlie discovered their retention rate was in the 80-90% range. "They're the most trusted name in conference and event staff"—that became their differentiator, not trying to be the biggest.

The Two-Part Brand Audit Framework Charlie always looks for two things: "Are we being really consistent? Every touchpoint of our brand—does it look the same, does it sound the same, does it feel the same on a sales call, social media, website, emails, in-person interactions?"

Second: "Are you really leaning into your unique competitive advantage?"

Branded vs. Non-Branded Search From his time at Dave Ramsey's Ramsey Solutions, Charlie learned a crucial lesson: "If they will get their branded terms right, then you can focus on the non-branded terms." He warns that "shiny object syndrome is rampant amongst entrepreneurs" who chase non-branded traffic while neglecting the basics.

His blunt take: "Search engines are the yellow pages today. You want to make it easy for somebody to just find you like that."

The Website Problem Charlie's most surprising piece of advice for clients: "If the weight of your business lands on your website, you have a problem."

Why? Your website is just one piece of your ecosystem. "If everything in your ecosystem is speaking the same language, then it's going to work." But when there's "no cohesive experience, no ecosystem," that's when brands struggle.

Technical SEO Still Matters Charlie shares a story about his staffing client who had keywords "in the graphic at the top of our page. In a designed graphic that can't be crawled, that had no alt text. I'm like, 'Nobody cares about that and Google's not recognizing it.'"

The lesson? "You have to plant a flag in the ground and say, here I am, and make it easy for people to find you."

Is SEO Dead? Charlie's take on the AI/LLM disruption: "I don't think traditional SEO is dead still. I think it still matters." While LLMs are changing search, "somebody is still looking for what you have" and "it still matters that you match intent more than anything else."

His strategy for the AI era? "I'm pushing folks to go way more grassroots and find ways to get on podcasts with niche audiences that are actually in their ICP."

Charlie's Two Essential Switches When onboarding clients, Charlie always starts with:

Mindset of Curiosity: "You've got to have a mindset of curiosity. If you are certain, if you are dead set, if you are rigid in your thinking about your brand, then this is not going to go well." His favorite question: "What is it like to be on the receiving end of your brand?"

Hold It With an Open Hand: "We've got to zoom out and not just think end of the month, end of the quarter. We've got to think about if where we want to be a year from now is our goal. What has to be true between now and then?"

Redirecting Good Ideas One of Charlie's most valuable skills is helping clients understand placement: "Just because it doesn't belong here doesn't mean it doesn't belong somewhere." A direct-to-camera video might be perfect for an email sequence but wrong for the homepage.

Resources Mentioned

Wyatt Bonicelli of Evolve Agency shares practical local SEO tactics for home service businesses—from Google Business Profile optimization and location page strategy to creative link building through local sponsorships and a clever gift card referral system that turns every customer into a lead generator.

Episode Summary

In this episode, Jeremy Rivera on the Unscripted SEO podcast by Be Sharp Digital Marketing sits down with Wyatt Bonicelli, founder of Evolve Agency in Edmond, Oklahoma, to discuss the unique challenges and opportunities in marketing home service contractors. An engineer turned marketer, Wyatt has carved out a niche helping window cleaners, roofers, and other service professionals transition from relying solely on word-of-mouth to building a sustainable online presence that generates leads on autopilot.

The conversation covers the full spectrum of local SEO—from the critical importance of Google Business Profile verification to the age-old question of "how many location pages are too many?" Wyatt shares his approach to building local authority through sponsorship link building, Chamber of Commerce memberships, and creative tactics like using ChatGPT to find partnership opportunities.

Perhaps most valuable are the practical, low-cost marketing wins Wyatt recommends: car magnets, A-frame signs, door hangers with neighbor referrals, and a brilliant gift card system that creates a built-in affiliate program for service businesses. He also drops a Google Maps "driving directions hack" that sends trust signals to Google daily.

The episode wraps with a candid discussion about lead follow-up—why 90% of service calls go unanswered and how the Harvard study showing 400% better conversion within five minutes should change how contractors approach their phones.

Key Topics Covered

Why home service contractors struggle to invest in marketing (and how to meet them where they are)

Google Business Profile optimization for service-area businesses without a physical address

The location page debate: How many is too many in 2024?

Hub-and-spoke internal linking strategy for multi-location businesses

Creative link building through local sponsorships and advanced Google queries

The noindex mistake that cost one client years of branded search visibility

Steve Hunziker's gift card referral system explained

Why LLMs haven't disrupted local SEO (yet)

Combining Meta ads with SEO for short-term and long-term growth

The $10/day Meta ad strategy that pre-sells door-to-door visits

Lead follow-up statistics that should terrify every service business owner

Low-hanging fruit: Car magnets, A-frames, and door hangers

The Chamber of Commerce SEO bump

Google Maps driving directions hack for daily trust signals

Quotable Moments

"Any page on your website that doesn't have a link internally, externally, it's probably not going to get indexed."

"You're 400% more likely to convert if you call within the first five minutes."

"Let's turn one lead into more. Let's try to get three or four out of every one. And that pyramid will just continue to grow."

"We're kind of in a bubble a lot of times and think that everybody else is using the tools the same way that we are."

"If they don't have any web presence at all, no online reviews or a website talking about what they do and where—it's a little harder to trust them with a big check."

Guest Bio

Wyatt Bonicelli is the founder of Evolve Agency, a digital marketing firm based in Edmond, Oklahoma specializing in web development and SEO for home service contractors. With a background in engineering, Wyatt brings a systematic, results-driven approach to helping small businesses—particularly window cleaners, roofers, and renova...