Market Movers: Building Brands & Links with Linkifi

How Mortgage Company LendFriend Gets 60–70% of Clients From ChatGPT & Grok

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Welcome to Market Movers: Building Brands & Links with Linkifi!

Your go-to podcast for transforming your business into an unforgettable brand where branding meets SEO and link-building. I’m Chris Panteli, Co-Founder & CEO of Linkifi, and I’m joined by my co-host and Co-Founder, Nick Biggs.

In this episode we welcome Max Liporace — Strategy Director at LendFriend Mortgage and former real estate attorney — who helped LendFriend pivot from retail lending to brokerage, then scale back up by leaning into SEO and LLM (AI) search for high-intent, non-QM borrowers.

 

Key Talking Points

✅ From Law to Lending — Ex-NY real estate attorney joins a fast-growing Austin lender; pandemic pivot → retail to broker model (lower overhead, more products)

✅ Boom → Cooldown → Pivot — Purchase-led growth and online leads: $300M (2020) → $380M (2021); rates surge in 2023–25 forces reinvention
✅ SEO as a Lifeline — Started in May, built on HubSpot: focused on quality pages answering buyer intent, not blog volume; tracked by source (Google, ChatGPT/Grok/Perplexity)
✅ LLMs Drive Real Deals — Today 60–70% of inbound finds them via LLMs; November: ~50% of closed volume from Google + LLM search
✅ Win the Niche, Not “Mortgage” — Target self-employed, asset-depletion, and crypto-supported mortgages; less commoditized, higher margins, faster close
✅ Geographic Expansion for Demand Capture — From TX/GA/FL to additional states (e.g., NH) to serve inbound SEO/LLM demand wherever it originates
✅ Crypto Mortgage, De-Risked — Treat BTC/ETH as assets with haircuts (e.g., ~50%) + 25% down; income “constructed” via asset utilization (no custody pledge required post-close)

 

Quotes from Max Liporace

📢 “We’re singing SEO’s praises. I couldn’t believe clients would come in this way—now they do, every week.”

📢 “If we do well on Google, we tend to do well on ChatGPT and Grok—same fundamentals, better trust handoff.”
📢 “Compete where the big brands aren’t: non-QM niches beat a race-to-the-bottom on price.”
📢 “It’s not more content—it’s better, buyer-intent content: landing pages that answer the exact question.”

 

Actionable Insights

🧭 Own Non-QM Search

  • Build intent pages for self-employed, DSCR/asset-depletion, ITIN, and crypto use-cases with clear docs, scenarios, and timelines.

  • Map FAQs to queries LLMs echo (e.g., “self-employed mortgage Austin,” “buy house with Bitcoin income,” “asset-depletion vs. traditional”).

    • 🔎 LLM-Ready Content

    • Add trust markers LLMs surface: licensing states, NMLS, reviews, BBB, media mentions, underwriting guardrails (LTV, reserves, haircuts).

    • Use schema, tidy UX, and a concise “Who we help” section to improve summarizability.

      • 📈 Attribution & Scale

      • Track source (Google vs. ChatGPT/Perplexity/Grok), state, product, close rate, and margin in HubSpot.

      • When a niche page starts converting, add a new state and replicate the asset (localize + compliance review).

        • 🪙 Crypto Mortgage Clarity

        • Explain how it works (asset custody window, haircut, min down, post-close flexibility).

        • Publish volatility safeguards and side-by-side BTC/ETH vs. stock asset-utilization examples.

          • 🏗️ Brand for the Long Game

          • Secure expert explainers, case studies, and borrower stories to build brand queries—a durable signal for both Google and LLMs.

          • Guest on niche podcasts (crypto/creator/self-employed finance) to earn relevant links and mentions.

            •  

            About Max Liporace / LendFriend

            Max Liporace is Strategy Director at LendFriend Mortgage, where he leads growth across non-QM niches (self-employed, asset-depletion, and crypto-supported mortgages). After a retail-to-broker pivot, LendFriend rebuilt volume by expanding licensing and investing in SEO + LLM visibility.

            Max's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/max-liporace-66b41a25/

            LendFriend Contact: [email protected] · ☎️ 512-888-5099 · 🌐 lendfriendmtg.com

             

            🚀 Build Your Brand with Real Links

            At Linkifi, we help ambitious brands scale organic visibility through digital PR, brand storytelling, and SEO strategy. Book your FREE strategy session today:

            🔗 https://calendly.com/linkifi/pr

             

            👋 Connect with your hosts:

            👉 Chris Panteli on LinkedIn
            👉 Nick Biggs on LinkedIn

             

            🎧 Listen to more Market Movers episodes:

            🌍 https://marketmoverspod.com

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            Market Movers: Building Brands & Links with LinkifiBy Linkifi