Writing Content That Ranks with LLMs

Why traditional SEO isn't enough, and how to create content that gets found by modern buyers using AI tools.

DEAR STAGE 2: We're trying to create content that ranks well with LLMs, not just traditional SEO. How should we rethink our process to stay ahead of how buyers are searching today? ~CURIOUS CONTENT MARKETER

DEAR CURIOUS CONTENT MARKETER: At Stage 2, we’re hearing from multiple portfolio companies that leads sourced from LLMs are converting at much higher rates than traditional inbound. Buyers are skipping Google and going straight to tools like ChatGPT and Claude. And what they see in those AI-generated answers may never include a traditional blog post. This shift is moving fast, and your content strategy needs to keep up.

To help, we asked Jonathan Kvarfordt, Head of GTM at Momentum, to share how he’s rethinking content production and navigating these changes.

If you want a deeper dive on all things LLMs and SEO, you can find the full article on the Stage 2 Capital blog.

Identify the Buyer Questions That Matter Most

Start with customer conversations (not keyword tools)
Jonathan’s process begins with pain points pulled straight from sales calls. His team uses Momentum (yes, drinking their own champagne!) to scan transcript data from closed-won, closed-lost, and active pipeline deals to find the most relevant pain points and trends, then aligns those themes to the product’s strengths.

He layers in AI-generated assumptions too: “If I were a buyer trying to solve this problem, what might I ask an LLM?” That forms the basis of his research prompt.

Tactical tip: Use call summaries + generative tools like Claude to expand your buyer's question set.

Create a Deep Research Artifact to Power the Flywheel

Use AI to surface patterns and outliers from research inputs
Jonathan pulls several different content sources (e.g. competitor pages, forums, market reports), feeds them into Claude, and asks: What themes are recurring? What’s uniquely mentioned?

The result: a deep research artifact. This single doc becomes the source of truth for blog posts, video scripts, enablement content, and more.

Format Content for LLM Visibility

Structure your writing like a great AI prompt
Traditional SEO told us to cram in keywords. But LLMs don’t index like humans, they scan structure, intent, and clarity.

Jonathan formats every piece of content like a layered prompt:

• H1: Clear question and direct answer

• H2s: Logical follow-ups a user might ask next

• H3s: Supporting detail, examples, or proof

Here’s a great example of this approach in action by Emilia Möller.

Tactical tip: Think in outline form (because that’s how LLMs think, too.)

Add Human Editing and SEO Polishing

Mix AI speed with human judgment
Once the AI output is drafted, it’s reviewed by a subject matter expert. In Momentum’s case it’s often Jonathan himself taking this step. Then they pass it through Clearscope to refine for traditional SEO standards and design it with helpful visuals.

Jonathan’s team is also running tests to compare AI-human hybrid content vs. human-only or AI-only. Early signs: the hybrid content is winning.

Tactical tip: Don’t choose between AI or humans (combine both for the best outcome.)

Track Performance: LLM Leads Are Converting Higher

Measure content performance across both traditional and AI-led search
It’s early days, but Jonathan is already seeing a difference. Using Peec.AI, his team is tracking which content actually drives discovery, and they’re tagging LLM-influenced URLs.

The result? Leads that originate from LLMs are converting faster and better than those from traditional search.

Tactical tip: Tag your content sources and monitor which search channel is actually creating meetings.

A Future-Proof Content Framework for Founders

Here’s how to rewire your content strategy for today’s buyer behavior:

1. Listen first – Use call recordings to hear what real buyers care about

2. Expand with AI – Layer in prompts and structured research

3. Format like a prompt – Use clear hierarchy that LLMs can parse

4. Polish for quality – Human edits + SEO scoring + design

5. Track what works – LLM leads may be your highest converters

This is about more than search, it’s a mindset shift. Your content should answer real questions, show up where the buyer is looking, and speak their language in the format their tools prefer.

And if you’re seeing better performance from LLMs? Double down. This is just getting started.

Until next week!