Chris Turnbull: Navigating The Changing Landscape Of Local SEO The Unscripted SEO Interview podcast

Episode: Unscripted SEO Podcast
Host: Jeremy Rivera - Unscripted Podcast
Guest: Chris Turnbull, Founder of Catalyst Marketing
Duration: ~45 minutes

Episode Description

Join Jeremy Rivera as he sits down with Chris Turnbull, founder of Catalyst Marketing, for an unfiltered discussion about how SEO has evolved over the past 13 years. From Google's monopolistic behavior to the rise of AI overviews, this conversation explores why local SEO has remained surprisingly stable while broader search continues to fragment across multiple platforms.

Chris shares insights from his journey from apprentice SEO to agency founder, specializing in performance marketing for local service businesses. The duo dives deep into the breakdown of traditional content marketing, the rise of user-generated content, and why Reddit posts now carry the same weight as backlinks from 2015.

Key Topics Covered

The Google Monopoly & Search Evolution

How Google evolved from "organizing the world's data" to "being the world's data"
The enshitification of search results and AI overview accuracy issues
Why we've become "beta testers" for tech corporations
The removal of search liaison positions and lack of feedback loops

Local SEO: What's Changed vs. What Hasn't

Why local SEO fundamentals from 2008 still work today
The continued importance of Google Business Profile, citations, and reviews
How LLMs heavily weight reviews and local mentions
Digital PR as the evolution of community involvement

The Content Creation Paradox

Google's contradictory demand to "create content for humans" while using bots to consume it
The problem of trillion duplicate articles from marketing agencies
How algorithm updates have created unsustainable content cycles
The information contamination problem with AI-generated content

Multi-Platform SEO Strategy

Why websites are no longer the central hub of marketing
The octopus model: tentacles with independent value
Reddit posts, LinkedIn Pulse, and social media as ranking factors
The breakdown of walled gardens and rise of indexed social content

Industry Role Evolution

The rise of fractional CMOs and why traditional SEO roles are expanding
How SEOs are becoming digital marketing business consultants
The challenge of specialization vs. generalization in agencies
Why keyword research now requires understanding of email, social, and brand marketing

Killer Quotes

Jeremy Rivera:

"It feels like we have been demoted to beta testers as the public... I remember search results from 2014 that were so scandalous they got a public apology. Now we have an age of lawlessness."

"Getting a huge upvoted post on Reddit now carries as much weight and value as getting a huge backlink did in 2015."

Chris Turnbull:

"What worked in SEO five years ago is still working now for local high-intent terms... It's dragging people who just focused on SEO into the wider marketing sphere."

"Is there a post-website world? These are big, almost existential questions when it comes to search."

Key Takeaways

Local SEO fundamentals remain stable despite broader search disruption
Multi-platform presence is now essential - websites are one tentacle, not the hub
User-generated content dominates AI results - authentic discussions outweigh traditional content
SEO roles are expanding into general marketing and business consulting
The content-traffic exchange is breaking down as Google consumes content without sending traffic

Featured Resources & Links

Guest & Host Links

Chris Turnbull: Connect on LinkedIn for performance marketing insights
Catalyst Marketing - Performance marketing for local service businesses
Jeremy Rivera's white label podcast service - SEO Arcade

About the Guests

Chris Turnbull has 13+ years of SEO experience, working from small agencies to global accounts and in-house roles with major insurance firms. Since 2021, he's focused exclusively on local service businesses through Catalyst Marketing. He's recently launched a school community for local business owners covering marketing, growth, and business development.

Jeremy Rivera is founder of SEO Arcade and co-host of the Unscripted SEO Podcast. With experience spanning from Raven Tools to local service SEO, he now operates a white label podcasting service that converts expert interviews into content and link-building opportunities for agencies.

Connect & Subscribe

Unscripted SEO Podcast: Listen to more episodes
SEO Arcade: Blog & Resources
Catalyst Marketing: Performance Marketing Services

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Episode: Unscripted SEO Podcast
Host: Jeremy Rivera - Unscripted Podcast
Guest: Chris Turnbull, Founder of Catalyst Marketing
Duration: ~45 minutes

Episode Description