Project outcomes

579 inbound leads. AI citations across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google. In 10 months.

579

Inbound leads captured since HubSpot install

216

Leads from organic search (37% of total)

10

Confirmed AI-referred leads from ChatGPT & Copilot

51%

Of leads submitted custom design details — high purchase intent

The Challenge

Ranking — But Not Where It Mattered

Bounce Athletics came to Three Seven in August 2024 with existing search rankings but not in the top positions that drive real traffic and orders. They were in the conversation — just not leading it. They wanted to move from top-10 into the top 3 for their core keywords.

And as the engagement got underway, a bigger shift was already happening in the market: AI search. Competitors were being cited in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews for queries like “custom soccer balls” and “personalized soccer balls.” Bounce wasn’t appearing in AI results at all — a gap that would only compound as AI search grew.

They also had no lead tracking: no HubSpot, no form data, no visibility into where customers were coming from.

Where they started

Ranking in search — but outside the top 3 for target keywords
0 AI citations across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews
0 tracked inbound leads — no visibility into lead volume or source
Technical and on-page issues flagged in initial site audit

Their goals

Rank in the top 3 for: custom soccer balls, logo soccer balls, custom NFHS soccer balls
Rank in the top 3 for: custom soccer pinnies, reversible tryout pinnies
Convert that visibility into trackable leads and orders

The Work

Foundation First. Then Execution.

The work had two phases: build something search engines and AI systems could trust, then put that foundation to work on the pages that mattered.

Phase 1 — ~21 hours

Foundation (Aug 2024–Spring 2025)

Website quality audit (two sessions): flagged structural issues affecting crawlability and content authority
Competitor research: mapped the landscape, identified content and positioning gaps
SEO strategy + presentation: custom roadmap with keyword targets and growth priorities
Domain opportunity: identified customsoccerballs.com as an available strategic asset
HubSpot install: configured lead capture forms — zero lead visibility before this

Phase 2 — ~27.5 hours

Execution (Spring 2025–Present)

Internal link restructure: rebuilt internal linking to strengthen the topical authority signals AI engines use when deciding what to cite — the single highest-impact execution block
On-page optimization of /custom-training-vests/: targeted improvements for training gear queries
Google Ads strategy: video ad recommendations for demand generation
Ongoing reporting: monthly Looker Studio dashboard, weekly board updates, narrative reports

Total tracked hours across the engagement: ~48.5h

Results

AI Visibility — and the Leads to Prove It

AI Visibility

Zero to consistently cited — across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews — within 10 months of engagement. By September 2025, Bounce started appearing as a ChatGPT recommendation for custom soccer ball queries. As of May 2026, Bounce ranks #1 in Google’s AI Overview for “mini soccer balls personalized.”

AI-Referred Leads

10 contacts in HubSpot are directly attributed to AI platforms — people who found Bounce via ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot and clicked through to the site. The /custom-soccer-balls page alone drove 7 of those 10.

Lead Capture — 579 Inbound Leads

Before Three Seven, Bounce had no lead tracking at all. Since HubSpot went live in October 2024, they’ve captured 579 inbound leads — with a clear organic search story underneath that number.

216 contacts (37%) came from organic search
Organic leads grew from 8 in Oct–Dec 2024 to 25 in April 2025 alone
63 organic leads in 2026 YTD (Jan–May), averaging 13/month
56 leads entered through pinnie and vest pages — the exact product category Three Seven targeted
51% of all leads submitted specific customization details — a strong signal of purchase intent, not just browsing

We went into ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini and typed ‘where’s the best place to buy custom soccer balls in the United States’ — and we came up first. It’s really clear why, which is awesome.
— Zach Jonker, Bounce Athletics

The Insight

AI systems cite authoritative sources — not just popular ones.

For a niche product like custom soccer balls, early focused SEO work — clean site architecture, strategic internal linking, targeted content depth — positioned Bounce as the go-to answer when someone asks ChatGPT “where can I get custom soccer balls?” before most competitors thought to care.

Bounce didn’t need to be a massive brand. They needed to be the clear, credible answer to a specific question. That’s what Three Seven built.