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Article · Finding clients
A free email or video mini-course for SEO prospects: plan and build it
Five short lessons that walk a small-business owner through one task in Search Console or their Business Profile, an enrollment page that says exactly what they get, and one invitation to a call at the end. Then the build on systeme.io's free plan.
The short answer: teach one task the owner can finish alone, such as verifying their site in Search Console, in five lessons of about 15 minutes. Each lesson has one job and ends with something they can see. The enrollment page says what they get and how often you will email, with an empty consent box. Invite them to a call once, on the last lesson page. On systeme.io's free plan, one course (up to 500 students), one funnel and the plan's one automation rule cover it.
Pick one task the owner can finish alone
A mini-course works when the reader ends it with something done, not just something learned. The task should be:
- One task, not a subject: "verify your site in Search Console", not "SEO basics".
- In their own account, with free tools they already have, so they keep the result whether or not they hire you.
- Five sittings of 10 to 15 minutes, each ending with something visible: a verified property, a saved profile, four numbers written down.
- Backed by a help page linked in every lesson, so they can check you against the source.
Two topics that fit local businesses: verifying their site in Google Search Console, and keeping their Google Business Profile current. Leave out anything that sounds like a promise. Google's page on hiring an SEO says "No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google," and its local ranking tips say there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking. If one page is enough, a checklist lead magnet is less work.
A five-lesson outline template
Fill one row per lesson before you write. If a lesson needs two tasks, split it or cut one.
| Lesson | Its one job | Done when |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Orient: what they will have at the end; find one thing lesson 2 needs | [It is written down] |
| 2 | The main setup step, in their own account | [The screen shows a status they can name] |
| 3 | Make it safe to keep: access or ownership | [They have reviewed a list] |
| 4 | A first check of their key pages | [A short note of what they saw] |
| 5 | A monthly routine, and one invitation | [A reminder is set] |
Hypothetical example: "Own your site in Search Console"
For an owner whose site someone else built.
| Lesson | What it teaches | Task |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Which property | A Domain property covers all subdomains and both http and https; a URL-prefix property covers only addresses that start with the exact prefix, protocol included. | Write down the domain and who controls its DNS settings. |
| 2. Verify | A DNS record is the only way to verify a Domain property; Google says to leave it in place afterwards. Without DNS access, a URL-prefix property can use an HTML file or tag. | Add the property and the record, then Verify. |
| 3. Access, not passwords | Only owners add users (Settings, Users and permissions, Add user). Full users see all data, restricted users most of it. An owner nobody recognizes can mean the site was hacked. | Review the user list. |
| 4. Main pages | Paste a full address into the inspection bar at the top. "URL is on Google" means the page can appear in results, not that it will. | Inspect the home page and two service pages. |
| 5. Monthly numbers | The Performance report shows clicks, impressions, click-through rate and average position, for the past three months by default. | Note the four numbers; set a monthly reminder. |
A second hypothetical topic, "Keep your Business Profile current", fits the same five rows. From Business Profile Help: lesson 1, sign in to the Google Account linked to the profile and select "Edit profile". Lesson 2, match the name to the signage and enter the website as a full address, including https://. Lesson 3, invite helpers under "People and access" as Owner or Manager, so nobody shares a password. Lesson 4, set special hours for holidays; Google reviews edits before they go live. Lesson 5, reply to reviews and add photos, both on Google's local ranking tips list.
A lesson page template
Email-only works when lessons are short text; on systeme.io that takes the free plan's one campaign, built like the follow-up sequence. With screenshots or video, put each lesson on a course page and send a short email when it opens. For video, keep the written steps under the video, and record in your own account, never a client's.
Lesson [2] of 5: [Verify your site with a DNS record]
Time: about [15] minutes. You need: [your login for the company that manages your domain].
Steps: 1. [Open ... and select ...] 2. [Copy ...] 3. [Paste ... and save] 4. [Go back and select Verify]
How you know it worked: [the exact message on screen]. If not: [the most common reason, and what to try].
Source: [Google help page title and link], checked on [date]. Next: lesson [3] opens in [2] days.
Lesson email subject: Lesson [2] of 5 is open: [verify your site]
Hi [first name], lesson [2] of [course name] is ready: [lesson link]. It takes about [15] minutes, and you will need [your domain login]. Stuck? Reply with a screenshot.
[Your name] · [business name] · [postal address]
You enrolled in [course name]. To stop these emails, reply "stop".
Offer to read replies only if you will answer them.
Enrollment page copy: what they get, consent, no pressure
Headline: Own your site in Google Search Console: a free five-lesson course
What you get: five short lessons for owners of [type of business], one every [2] days in a private course area, with an email when each opens. Right after you sign up, an automatic email gives you your login and a link to choose a password.
What it is not: an audit, or a promise about rankings or traffic. You do each step in your own account. Nothing to buy.
After lesson 5: one invitation to a [30]-minute call. No sales emails unless you ask.
Checkbox (empty, required): Yes, enroll me in [course name] and email me when each lesson opens, from [your name], [business name]. I can stop at any time.
Button: Start the free course. Small print: Reply "stop" to any lesson email and I will end your enrollment. [Privacy notice]
Leave off countdown timers, "spots left", pre-ticked boxes, testimonials you cannot back up, and numbers about leads or traffic.
Thank-you page: You are in. [With double opt-in: first, click the link in the confirmation email within 24 hours.] Then look for the email with your login and a link to choose a password; lesson 1 is open when you sign in. Nothing after a few minutes? Check spam, or write to [your email].
The follow-up offer, once, in lesson 5
The course is the help; the offer is an option at the end. Put it on the lesson 5 page, after the routine, linked to your booking page (see a booking page for SEO discovery calls).
If you want a second pair of eyes
That is the whole course: your site is [verified], you know who has access, and you have your first numbers. You can keep the routine going without me.
If you want help with what you found, I offer a [30]-minute call for [type of business] owners in [area]. We go through your notes from lessons 4 and 5, and you leave with [three priorities in writing]. [Price, or "No charge."] It is not a fit if [you need results within a month].
Book a time: [booking link]. Or do nothing; I will not follow up about this course.
This part of the lesson promotes [business name]'s SEO services.
Keep the offer out of the lesson emails
The FTC's CAN-SPAM guide says a message's primary purpose decides whether it is commercial, with no exception for business-to-business email. Content that delivers goods or services under a transaction the recipient already agreed to is transactional or relationship content, a category the guide says the law views narrowly. It does not mention free courses, so this page does not decide which side lesson emails fall on. The cautious route: keep each lesson email about its lesson. If one mentions the offer, treat it as commercial: accurate sender and subject, a line saying it is an ad, a valid postal address, and an opt-out that works for at least 30 days, honored within 10 business days. The guide lists penalties of up to $53,088 per email in violation.
A plain-language summary of the FTC's business guide, not legal advice. It covers US federal law only; if your students are in other countries, check the rules where they live.
To email students after the course, ask for that consent separately; see follow-up emails for SEO prospects. For a monthly email they can opt into, see a monthly SEO newsletter.
Build it on systeme.io's free plan
| Item | Free plan | This build uses |
|---|---|---|
| Courses | 1 | 1 |
| Students | Up to 500 | One per enrollment |
| Automation rules | 1 | 1: form submitted, enroll in course |
| Sales funnels | 3 | 1 ("Build an Audience") |
| Email campaigns | 1 | None created; lesson emails are set on each lecture |
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Create the course
Assets, Courses, Add a new course. Fill in Name, Domain and URL path, choose a theme, Save.
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Add one module and five lectures
Add module, name it, Save. Then Add lecture per lesson: name, delay after the previous lecture, Enable comments (only if you will answer), page template, Save. The delay is in days and runs from the previous lecture, not the course start. A hypothetical schedule: 0 days for lesson 1, so it opens at enrollment, then 2 days for each of the others. One help page counts from gaining access to the previous lecture, another from viewing it, so check the dates on a test student (step 7).
For video, add a Video element and set Video type to Upload file, or use a URL or embed code. Files cannot exceed 2 GB; the help page recommends 100 MB or less.
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Activate the lectures and the course
New lectures are drafts. Three dots, Activate, for each one and for the course; until then, a preview shows "No lectures yet".
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Attach a lesson email to each lecture
Three dots next to the lecture, Create a drip access email: subject, sender name, sender email, Visual or Classic editor, Save; write it and Save. It is sent when that lecture unlocks. The help page does not say whether these emails carry your account's footer, so read one on your test student.
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Build the enrollment page
Sites, Sales funnels, Create: name, domain, currency, Build an Audience (an opt-in page and a thank-you page). In Edit page, add a Form input of the email type and a mandatory Checkbox with your consent sentence. Set the button's Action when button clicked to Submit form, redirecting to the next funnel step; with a mandatory box, visitors cannot go on without ticking it. The help page does not say the box starts unticked; check it live. Optional double opt-in, in the button's gear settings: emails and automations wait for confirmation, and contacts who do not confirm within 24 hours are deleted.
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Enroll sign-ups automatically
Close the editor, open the page's Automation rules tab, Add rule. Trigger: Funnel step form subscribed. Action: Enroll in course, your course, Drip content (full access opens every lecture at once and ignores delays). Save rule: that is the free plan's one rule. If your one rule already runs a follow-up campaign, Free has no room for this one: enroll students by hand (below). Each student then gets an automatic access email, sent on your behalf, with their username and a link to choose a password. It cannot be modified, so the thank-you page does the explaining.
Other ways in: Add student on the course, with first name, last name, email and access type, enrolls someone by hand and emails them their login details without using a rule. A Tag added rule with Enroll in course also works, for tags added after the rule exists, but on the free plan it would replace the form rule.
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Test it as a student
Enroll with a second address of your own and confirm only lesson 1 opens. Under Assets, Courses, Students, click the address; the course's three-dot menu has Show lectures access dates. In Enrollments, the three dots hold Resend the access email and Dismiss, which revokes access after Confirm: use it for a "stop". The person stays in your student list, and the help page does not say whether lesson emails stop, so check that too.
Optional: the course's Settings has Email reminders (classic courses only), for students who have not started or stopped partway, sent once or repeatedly. One reminder, sent once, keeps it low-pressure.
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Label the badge
Free plan users cannot remove systeme.io's affiliate badge from funnel pages. If it can earn you a commission, add a line near it: "The systeme.io badge on this page is a paid link. I may earn a commission if you sign up through it." The FTC's endorsement FAQ says "Paid link" right next to the link should be adequate, and closer is better.
For the sending domain, sender address and email footer on the same free account, see Part B of the walkthrough.
Sources
- No guaranteed #1 ranking: Do you need an SEO? (Google Search Central)
- Search Console Help: property types, add a property; DNS, HTML file and tag, keeping the record, verify ownership; owners and users, permissions; inspection bar and labels, URL Inspection; metrics and date range, Performance report
- Business Profile Help: editing, hours, website, review of edits, edit your profile; People and access, owners and managers; reviews, photos, no paying for ranking, local ranking tips
- Primary purpose, transactional content, requirements, penalties: CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business (FTC); paid-link labels: FTC's Endorsement Guides: What People Are Asking
- Free plan limits, no expiry or card, inactivity, going over limits, Startup price, courses and rules (as listed on 29 October 2026): systeme.io/pricing
- Course, modules, lectures, delays, access types: article 164, article 301; activating: article 1727; video: article 300; lesson emails: article 472; reminders: article 4375
- Enrollment from a form: article 1615, article 2408; by tag, by hand, automatic email: article 1720, article 284, article 217; access email cannot be modified: article 273
- Funnel types: article 147; form, button, redirect: article 1602; checkbox: article 324; double opt-in: article 271
- Access dates: article 3032; resending access: article 1768; revoking access: article 274; affiliate badge: article 286