With 57% of Google searches now ending without a click, where are those potential customers going? Matthew Stafford from Build Grow Scale reveals why LLM traffic converts at 5X the rate of traditional search—and how smaller brands can capture this opportunity before the giants catch on.

Matthew Stafford has spent a decade helping eCommerce brands scale, working with companies doing £200,000 to £3 million monthly. Across every US-based client, he's seen organic traffic drop 20-30% this year. But the brands optimising for LLMs aren't just recovering that lost traffic—they're converting it at rates that make their old Google numbers look pedestrian. We explore why AI assistants have become trusted advisors rather than search tools, the specific tactics working right now (including buyer-intent FAQs per product), and why Matthew calls this the biggest shift he's seen in his entire consulting career.

Key Point Timestamps:

06:08 - The 57% no-click problem and LLM shift

12:12 - AI as trusted advisor

22:56 - Buyer-intent FAQs explained

27:40 - Schema markup for LLMs

36:41 - Why small brands have the advantage

Google was always about accessing information. You typed in a query, got a list of links, and did the research yourself. LLMs work completely differently—they've become trusted advisors that people share everything with.

"People literally are using these LLMs for their therapist and sharing everything with them," Matthew explains. "And then they're now going there to make their buying decision."

When a trusted advisor recommends something, people buy. That's why LLM referrals convert at 5X the rate of Google traffic. The LLM knows customer preferences, behaviours, and context. It's not just matching keywords anymore—it's making personalised recommendations.

Most websites have FAQ sections that aren't actually answering frequently asked questions—they're thinly veiled sales pitches. Matthew challenges brands to rethink this entirely.

"My question to them is, why would shipping time be on your FAQ? And they go, well, people ask that all the time. And I said, then that means that you're too lazy to put it on your website."

Real FAQ optimisation for LLMs means creating questions that demonstrate buyer intent—questions someone would only ask if they were seriously considering a purchase. The key insight: do this per product, not just site-wide. Start with your top 20% of products that drive 80% of sales.

What makes this opportunity so compelling for smaller brands is the asymmetric potential. Matthew describes it as finding "the little hinges that swing the big doors."

"I truly believe that for the little guys, this is a level playing field. The only thing that is going to allow the bigger ones to outspend you maybe is if they take action sooner. But what I've found is these big companies that we deal with, they know that they need to do it, but they don't do it because they don't know what to do."

Large organisations move slowly. By the time they've figured out their LLM strategy, smaller brands could have six months of consistent optimisation under their belts. Matthew compares it to the early Google days of 2004—a spiralling upward effect for those who act first.

Today's guest: Matthew Stafford

Company: Build Grow Scale

Website: buildgrowscale.com

Email: matt@buildgrowscale.com