📪 HH #95: Part 4/5 📈 The New Scoreboard
- Justin Hubbard
- Jul 30
- 6 min read
TL;DR – Website traffic isn’t the whole game anymore.
In 2025, clicks are down. AI gives answers before people even visit your site. Social keeps them stuck scrolling. So if you’re only tracking page views, you’re missing the bigger picture.
The new game is attention and trust — across every platform.
That means:
Brand mentions — Are people talking about you?
Social engagement — Are they liking, sharing, commenting?
AI visibility — Do you show up when people ask ChatGPT who to hire?
Recognition — Do people know what you do when they hear your name?
Message repetition — Are you saying the same helpful thing across content, video, email, posts?
People don’t always click right away. But when they do, they’ll call the brand they remember and trust.
That needs to be you.
Do this this week:
Track one new signal (like brand mentions)
Pick one platform and show up weekly
Ask AI who it recommends in your niche — see if you show up
If you don’t — we fix that. You’re building attention now so you win later.
Why Website Traffic Isn’t the Entire Game Anymore
Most business owners still think success means one thing: “How much traffic is my website getting?”
And that makes sense to a degree because traffic is attention and attention is THE most important thing a business needs.
But in 2025 and beyond, traffic alone won’t keep your calendar booked.
Google’s not dishing out clicks like it used to.
AI tools are giving answers before people even reach your site.
And social media?
It’s built to keep people scrolling on-platform.
If all you're tracking is page views and SEO rankings, you're flying pretty close to blind.
It’s time we update your scoreboard.
Why Website Traffic Is Overrated
You might have great on page content. You might even be organically ranking.
But if Google gives the answer right there on the search page, users won’t click on to a website. Why would they?
You might have a killer Youtube short.
If they watched it, remembered it, and moved on—you still won.
That’s the new game: Be remembered—even if they don’t take action right away.
The New Metrics That Actually Matter
Let’s shift your focus. Here’s what really counts now:
1. Brand MentionsAre people tagging you?
Quoting you?
Dropping your name in comment threads?
Even without a click, this builds reach, trust, and AI recognition.
2. Social EngagementLikes and comments matter. So do shares, saves, and replies.
The more people interact with your content, the more it gets shown—and remembered.
3. AI VisibilityAsk ChatGPT: “Who’s the best junk removal company in [your city]?”
Important: Go incognito so it's not pulling from data it thinks you want based on your history.
Are you showing up?
If not—you’ve got work to do.
AI tools pull from:
Reviews
Mentions
Trusted websites
High-quality content
You want your brand to be in that data pool.
4. Recognition Without ContextIf someone sees your logo or hears your business name, do they know what you do immediately?
If yes—excellent.
If not—you've got to tighten your brand and show up more around the webs.
5. Message RepetitionAre you saying the same key message in different formats?
Video (I strongly believe this is the future of prospective customer trust signals. Go all in on this.)
Blog (Very important because AI needs fuel. The more helpful content you create, the more likely AI tools like ChatGPT will use it to answer people’s questions — and point them to you. That means more clicks, more leads, and more trust.
Helpful = High Trust. AI favors businesses that publish useful, clear, human content. That trust will only matter more over time. If you want to show up in AI results, start by being genuinely helpful online.)
Email (Own your list. Don’t let social platforms control your reach. They only show your posts to 1–5% of your followers. But when you email your list? You’re speaking directly to people who actually want to hear from you. Average open rate considered good is 21% — mine’s 61% -shoutout to you legends 🙌.)
IG posts
TikToks
Repetition builds memory. Memory builds trust.
Trust gets the phone to ring.
You’re Competing for Attention, Not Clicks
In this new landscape, your company is the product.
Not necessarily your website.
In this new landscape, your company is the product. Not just your website. Not just your service.
You. Your brand. Your content. Your voice. Your opinions. Your proof.
When someone searches or asks AI for help, it’s pulling answers from businesses that show up, stand out, and feel real. That means how you explain things. How clearly you communicate. How fast you respond. How easy you are to trust.
Your website matters — yes. But it’s not the center anymore.
It’s just one of the many places people might bump into you. What actually sells is how helpful and human you are everywhere else — your emails, your posts, your Google reviews, your GMB photos, your answers on forums, your voice in the content.
In this game, attention wins before conversion ever starts.
If your name is the first one people think of, you win—whether they click today, tomorrow, or next week.
They don’t always take action right away.
But when they do, they call the one they trust.
That needs to be you.
Recap:
Website traffic is only one piece
Track mentions, engagement, visibility, and brand recall
Build authority through repetition
Consistency + trust = long-term win
You’re not just getting leads—you’re building your company's online legacy
✅ What to Do Next:
Here’s your 3-step plan for this week:
1. Pick one signal you’re not tracking—and start tracking it.Example: How many people mention your brand this month?
2. Choose one platform—and commit to showing up weekly.Don’t aim for perfect. Just post real content. Teach. Share. Help.
3. Ask AI tools to recommend services in your area. Run a Visibility Test
Just like you’d Google:
“Best junk removal company in [Your City]”
You can now ask AI tools like ChatGPT, Bing Chat, or Perplexity:
“Who is the best junk removal company near me?”
“What junk removal companies service [Your City]?”
“What’s the top-rated landscaping business in [Your City]?”
You’re basically testing to see if your business shows up in those AI-generated answers.
Do you show up? If not—let’s fix that.
Coming Up Next (Part 5 the Conclusion)
In the next issue, I’m pulling back the curtain on something I’ve been building behind the scenes:
A new division of my digital marketing company (adimize.com) built specifically for this zero-click, AI-first world.
Stay sharp. Part 5 is next.
That’s the Hauler’s Edge ✌️
Justin Hubbard
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