As a small service provider and a freelancer, I don’t have a big marketing budget. I can’t run ads for obvious reasons. I don’t have a team of people writing content or doing outreach for me. It’s just me, doing the work, trying to put out helpful stuff when I can. So when wins come, even small ones, they really mean something.
Recently, I searched “bricks builder expert philippines” on Google and saw my name showing up on the first page. That felt like a real win. Not just in the regular search results, but also in Google’s AI Mode, where it actually listed me as one of the top recommended experts.
That might be a small thing for others, but it’s a big deal for someone like me.
Honestly, I’m not really comfortable throwing the word “expert” around about myself, sounds like I’m bragging. But that’s the search term, so please bear with me on this one 😅
Why This Felt Like a Win For Me
Web design and development is a really competitive space. You’re going up against agencies that have budgets for SEO, paid ads, and entire content teams. As a solo freelancer, I can’t compete with that kind of firepower. I just can’t.
But here’s what I’ve found: you don’t always have to outspend everyone. Sometimes, you just need to show up consistently in the right places with the right focus.
When I saw my profile on the Bricks Builder Experts directory, my own website, and then my name being recommended by Google’s AI overview for that search term, I realized that the work I’ve been doing quietly over the past months was starting to pay off.
Niching Down Was the First Step
I’ll be honest. For a long time, I was trying to be everything to everyone. General web design, general development, taking any project that came my way. And there’s nothing wrong with that when you’re starting out. You need to pay the bills.
But at some point, I realized I needed to pick a lane. I can’t be a master of everything. What I can do is go deep on something specific and become really good at it.
I’ve been using Bricks for a while (I think for 3 years), I know the tool inside and out, and I genuinely enjoy building with it. So I leaned into that. I made sure my website reflected that focus. I got listed on the official Bricks Builder Experts directory. I started writing about topics related to it.
That focus, I think, is what search engines (and now AI) pick up on. When your website, your content, and your online presence all point in the same direction, it sends a clear signal about what you do and who you do it for.
SEO Is Changing, and You Need to Pay Attention
This probably isn’t new to anyone reading this, but SEO has changed a lot. It’s not just about traditional search rankings anymore. Now you have to think about AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) too.
What does that mean in simple terms? It means search engines like Google are now using AI to answer people’s questions directly. Instead of just showing you a list of links, Google’s AI Mode will actually write a response and recommend specific people or services. If your name shows up in that AI-generated answer, that’s a whole different level of visibility.
We don’t have full control over how Google’s AI picks who to recommend. Nobody does. But I’ve found that there are things you can do to give yourself the best chance of showing up.
What I Think Helped Me Rank
Now, I’m not going to pretend I know everything about SEO. But I do pay attention to it because it directly affects my business. So this is just me sharing what I did and what I think made a difference.
1. Writing content that adds real value
This is the part where a lot of people get it wrong, in my experience. They think SEO is just about adding pages and filling them with content, and then somehow it magically helps you rank. That’s not how it works.
I’ve seen people use AI to generate hundreds of blog posts in a day. And sure, you’ll have a lot of content. But if your audience can’t find what they’re actually looking for, or if the content doesn’t really help them, it won’t matter. You still need to be human in making decisions about what to write and how to write it.
Also, I’m not sure if you’ve read or watched some updates, but Google has been filtering out sites that flood their pages with low-quality content just to boost rankings. It doesn’t matter if it’s written by AI or a person. If it’s not helpful, it’s not going to work. So more content doesn’t always mean better results.
Even when I’m busy with client work, I try to add something valuable to my website. A blog post about a real problem I solved. A tutorial that actually helps someone. A page that answers a question someone might be searching for. It’s not about volume. It’s about being useful.
2. Being listed on a trusted directory
Getting on the official Bricks Builder Experts page on Bricks Builder was a big one. That’s a credible, well-known source in the Bricks community. When AI search engines are looking for experts to recommend, they pull from sources like that.
3. Consistency over time
I didn’t do all of this in one week. This has been months of small, steady efforts. Adding content here, updating a page there, making sure my site loads better and works well on mobile. None of it is glamorous. But it adds up.
4. Proper on-page SEO
I’ve been maintaining my own website for a while now, and with experience working on different projects, clients, and agencies, I’ve picked up a lot about on-page SEO along the way. Just the basics, really. Proper keyword research, using the right tags, internal linking, and so on.
And those basics? They still apply today. For example, I mentioned ranking for “bricks builder expert philippines” earlier. But when I tried a completely different variation like “developer filipino bricks expert,” I still managed to get cited. That tells me the foundation is working. When your on-page SEO is done right, you don’t just show up for one exact keyword. You start showing up for variations of it too.
What I’m Still Figuring Out
I don’t want to pretend I have this all figured out. I definitely don’t. AI search is still evolving, and what works today might change tomorrow. Search engines update their algorithms all the time, and AI Mode is still relatively new.
What I do know is that the basics still matter. Be clear about what you do. Create content that genuinely helps people. Make sure your website is well built and easy to use.
And a lot of it comes down to patience. I’ve had months where nothing seemed to move. Where I’d write a post and it felt like nobody saw it. But then you check one day and your name is right there, being recommended. That makes the slow days worth it.
The Takeaway
If you’re a freelancer or a small service provider like me, I think it comes down to this: pick your niche, show up consistently, and don’t stop adding value to your corner of the internet. You don’t need a huge budget. You don’t need a big team. You just need focus and patience.
SEO isn’t just about ranking on a list of links anymore. It’s about showing up where people are actually looking, and right now, that includes AI-powered search results. The sooner you start thinking about that, the better your chances.
I’m still learning, still experimenting, and still figuring things out. But this small win reminded me that the work is worth doing, even when it feels like nobody’s watching.
