One major reason why we started SEO Training Philippines is to help out aspiring Filipinos become freelance SEOs, especially those with zero knowledge but with one hundred percent determination.
And it always brings us joy whenever we see students getting familiar with the world of search engines as they go through our courses.
Today, we caught up with one of our first students, Jaypee, about his experience with the course. He also shared his challenges before landing his two first clients.
Hi Jaypee, can you give us a short intro about yourself? What are you currently doing?
Jaypee: Hi, I'm Jaypee, 37 years old from Quezon City. I’m a part-time SEO Specialist for a cleaning service company in New York and a Full-time On-Page SEO Specialist for an SEO firm in Canada. So I have 2 jobs at the moment.
Why do you want to pursue a career in SEO?
Jaypee: I was attracted to how much an SEO specialist gets hourly or monthly.
Let’s talk about your experience with our course first. How did you find out about SEO Training Philippines?
Jaypee: Now that I have decided to learn SEO, I looked for online courses through Facebook and Google, and the SEOtraining.ph came up on my newsfeed. I've read everything and checked the course outline and I quickly found out that this is what I'm gonna sign up for.
What made you decide that this is a course that you’d like to take? I’m sure you saw a few other courses along the way.
Jaypee: I was attracted by how deep SEO courses were outlined. The website is really nice with a lot of helpful contents. And of course, the fee was way cheaper than the one I found on Google which is 6,500 pesos.
You were the first student to finish the course! How fast did you go through it? Did you skip a few lessons and/or go back and forth between modules?
Jaypee: I have to go back and forth as everything was new to me. I did not skip one video, in fact, I still visit some courses when I find myself at a loss in what I’m doing right now.
How difficult was the course for you? We made the course as comprehensive as we can, so it’s quite long and definitely not for everybody.
Jaypee: It was difficult at first since I have no clue on what SEO is for and what it does. But as I go through the course I find it very comprehensible. The way things are explained was clear, examples were given and it made the course easy for me.
After finishing the course, you sent me a message asking for a little guidance in applying in OLJ. How did the job hunt went for you?
Jaypee: It was hard. When I started looking for an SEO job I found that most clients are looking for veteran SEO Specialists, with years of experience and must have specialties.
I went to Yesh to ask for guidance and he was there to help me. Gave some advice and tips on how to really sell myself to clients. I just followed what he said and also, I need to build up confidence in order to deliver myself properly and show clients that I really know what I’m doing.
How many job listings did you apply to?
Jaypee: I’ve sent 5-10 applications and only one got back to me which is the cleaning service company. After that, I still looked for another job because I’m only working part-time and with no time tracking so I had a lot of time for job hunting.
Note from Yesh: I was elated to read Jaypee's message about his lineup of job offers and interviews. I was confident that he'll land a decent job, but I never thought he'd message me again in a few weeks. Watch out for his next message below.
Did you use our cover email templates as-is, did you make any changes, or did you use your own?
Jaypee: Yes! It’s still my template and it is really an eye-catching job application template. I just tweaked it a little bit so I would look like my own.
You also sent me a few screenshots of the job interviews you landed. How many did you get in total and how did those work out for you?
Jaypee: I got the cleaning company. The other one was a recruiter but they are looking for a seasoned SEO specialist with years of experience so I turned it down. The last one is an SEO agency in Canada which I just signed up with.
A few days later, you messaged me again, now asking for some insights about a client you just landed! How was the journey from sending job applications to actually sealing the deal with this particular client?
Jaypee: I just presented myself with confidence and showed my client that I know what I’m doing. Good thing my client is very kind and a fun person and he trusted me with working on their website. Right now it’s still in construction as I’m the only SEO specialist working on it.
It took like weeks after I sent my application. I just check my email from time to time. They interviewed me and I’m already used to interviews from my past jobs so it was nothing new. I just presented myself with confidence and knowledge to show them that I’m a good fit for the position.
If I may ask, what is your rate for this particular client?
Jaypee: For the cleaning service company I’m getting $500/month. I have no time tracking here so I work whenever I want and whenever I can. I think of it as a side-hustle. For the SEO agency, I’m getting $750/month so it’s like around $1,250/month salary for both clients, which is not really bad for an SEO starter like me.
Now that you’ve officially entered the SEO industry, what are your career plans in the near future, say, in 1-2 years?
Jaypee: The SEO agency that I’m with right now has many clients, some of them are big companies in the United States and Canada. I want to be the senior SEO specialist someday, handling a team of SEO.
Before I end this interview, do you have any words of inspiration for SEO beginners like you?
Jaypee: Like I said, I was just attracted to how much an SEO specialist gets. I have no idea or clue what SEO is.
I pushed myself because I’m thinking of my family, to provide and to give them a bit of a good life. It was hard for me at first, but eventually I liked it and it helped me understand it quickly and be able to get clients.
Don't let your fear get in the way, jump right on it, think of your family or yourself and see what more you’ll have when you have years of experience in this field. So, start now folks! It’s always never too late for everything! I highly recommend SEOTraining.ph courses. Trust me, it’s easy once you’re there!
That's it for me an Jaypee. What do you think about his journey? If you're an aspiring SEO Specialist, I hope his success story inspires you. If you want to start learning SEO, start here for free:
