Let’s say you wanted to search for information on your favourite animal, elephants. Many websites will appear when you type “elephants” into a search engine like Google. The ones at the top are the ones that did the best job at SEO because they used the right words and tricks to make the search engine like them more.

SEO, or search engine optimization, is a way to ensure that websites appear at the top of search engine results when people search for something online. It’s like a game where websites try to use certain words and tricks to make search engines like them more than other websites. There is a short story that you can tell your kids to understand SEO much more quickly.

An SEO story for kids​

Once upon a time, there was a small town called Webville. In Webville, many websites wanted to be the best and get many visitors. One day, the websites learned about SEO, which stands for Search Engine Optimization.

The websites asked around and found out that SEO is all about ensuring they appear at the top of the search results when people are looking for something online. They learned that when people search for something online, they usually use a search engine like Google or Bing. The search engine looks at all the websites on the internet and tries to show the best ones at the top of the search results.

The websites in Webville knew that if they could show up at the top of the search results, they would get more visitors and be more successful. So they set out to learn everything they could about SEO.

First, they learned that SEO is all about using the right words and phrases on their website. They learned that they needed to use the exact words that people use when they search for something online. For example, if someone is looking for a pizza place in Webville, they might search for “pizza Webville.” So the websites needed to make sure they used the words “pizza” and “Webville” on their website.

Next, they learned that they needed to make their website easy to use. This is called “user experience” or “UX” for short. They discovered that if someone visited their website and it was hard to find what they were looking for, they would leave and go to another website. So they made sure their website was easy to navigate with clear categories or search filters.

The websites also learned about something called “backlinks.” Backlinks are links from other websites that lead to their website. They knew that if other websites linked to their website, it would make their website look more important and valuable to the search engines. So they worked hard to get other websites to link to their website.

First, they learned that SEO is about using the right words and phrases on their website. They learned that they needed to use the exact words people use when searching for something online. For example, someone looking for a pizza place in Webville might search for “pizza Webville.” So the websites needed to make sure they used the words “pizza” and “Webville” on their website.

Next, they learned they needed to make their website easy to use. This is called “user experience” or “UX” for short. They discovered that if someone visited their website and it was hard to find what they were looking for, they would leave and go to another website. So they ensured their website was easy to navigate with clear categories or search filters.

The websites also learned about something called “backlinks.” Backlinks are links from other websites that lead to their website. They knew linking other websites to their website would make it look more important and valuable to search engines. So they worked hard to get other websites to link to their website.

Lastly, the websites learned about something called “local SEO.” They realized that if they had a physical location, like a store or restaurant in Webville, they needed to ensure their website was optimized for local search. They needed to use the name of their city or town on their website and in their website’s content. They also needed to ensure their website had their address, phone number, and hours of operation listed.

The websites in Webville worked hard to improve their SEO, and before long, they started showing up at the top of the search results. People in Webville and beyond started visiting their websites, and business was booming.

In the end, the websites in Webville learned that SEO is all about using the right words and phrases, making their website easy to use, getting other websites to link, and optimizing their website for local search. With these tips and strategies, they were able to improve their SEO and become more successful than ever before. And they all lived happily ever after.