How to Explain SEO to Your MD Without Sounding Like a Fraudster

Let’s be real…
There’s something about SEO that makes Nigerian bosses suspicious.

You say, “We’re optimizing for keywords,” and they hear:

“You want to use Google to scam me.”

You mention “organic traffic,” and the question comes:

“Why are we not seeing the results this week?”

Try to say “backlink strategy,” and boom—they’re calling a meeting with Procurement.

So how do you explain SEO in a way that doesn’t sound like Yahoo Lite? Let’s break it down:

1. Start With What They Already Understand

Don’t lead with “domain authority” or “crawling bots.”
Lead with:

“Sir, SEO is how customers find us on Google without us running ads.”

Your MD already knows what Google is. They’ve used it to:

Check if their child’s school is legit

Look up ‘best cars for men in their 50s’

Google symptoms instead of going to the hospital

So say:

“Just like how people Google ‘affordable hotels in Lagos’ or ‘Tummy Tummy distributor near me,’ SEO is how we appear when our audience is searching.”

Boom. Now they’re listening.

2. Use the “Shop Analogy”

Nigerians love shop talk. Try this:

“Imagine we have a big shop in Balogun Market, but there’s no signboard, and it’s hidden inside a plaza.
That’s what our website looks like without SEO.”

“SEO is like putting a signboard, telling okada riders we’re there, and giving people directions on Instagram and Google Maps.”

Now it clicks.

3. Avoid Technical Jargon That Sounds Like Yahoo Slang

Please, don’t say:

“We’re targeting long-tail queries”

“We need to disavow toxic links”

“We need to improve our crawl budget”

You sound like you’re trying to defraud a U.S. Navy officer.

Instead, say:

“We want to make sure Google understands our website so it shows up when people search for things we sell.”

Or: “We want our brand to show up when people Google problems we help solve.”

Keep it simple. SEO isn’t supposed to sound like a PhD defense.

4. Show Proof—Real Screenshots, Not Charts

Don’t go and bring one Excel sheet full of bounce rate and average session duration. Show them:

A screenshot of a Google search where your competitor ranks higher

Your website traffic from Google in one graph

Keyword rankings over time with arrows (MDs love arrows going up)

Then say:

“Sir, last year we had 12 people a month finding us on Google. Now we have 300—and we didn’t even run ads.”

They’ll be impressed.

5. Tie It to the Only Language They Respect: Money

At the end of the day, if it doesn’t lead to money, your MD won’t care.

So say:

“This isn’t just about Google—it’s about visibility. Visibility brings traffic, and traffic brings leads. Leads bring sales. That’s how we save on ads and still grow.”

Better still, show how SEO helped:

Reduce ad spend

Increase inbound calls/messages

Bring in better-quality leads

6. Be Patient. SEO is a Slow Burn, Not Suya

Don’t set yourself up by saying:

“You’ll see results this month.”

You won’t. And you’ll look like a liar.

Instead, say:

“SEO takes 3–6 months to start showing impact, but the results compound over time. Once we start ranking, we don’t have to keep paying for every click like ads.”

That’s when they finally understand:
SEO is like land. Paid ads are rent.

TL;DR?
SEO is how brands own their real estate on the internet—without paying gate fee every single time.

If you explain it in plain Nigerian English, even your MD will become a believer.

The SoroSoke Brand Tip:
Speak less like a tech bro, more like a market woman with data.
Explain the problem, show the solution, and back it up with Naira logic.

Over to you:
What’s the wildest question a boss has asked you about SEO?
Tweet at us @SoroSokeBrands. We dey here