How to Get a Kids Program Recommended by AI Search (Ep. 6)

Episode 06 · April 23, 2026 · Guest: David Dodge, CodaKid

To get a kids program recommended by AI search, give answer engines quick, specific answers they can cite. Add FAQ sections and comparison charts to your website, mark up your pages with schema, collect reviews and video testimonials, and write pages for the exact searches parents make right before they buy, like the best coding classes in your city for 13-year-olds.

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This is my written companion to Episode 6 of The Youth Enrichment Leader, "Bootstrapping an Enrichment Business to 7 Figures with David Dodge." David is the founder of CodaKid, which teaches kids coding and AI online (codakid.com). He's a former teacher and game developer with two decades in enrichment. The part every operator should act on now is how parents are starting to find programs. Everything from David below is paraphrased.

What is AEO, and why should a kids program care?

AEO is the answer-engine version of SEO: getting tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity to name your program when a parent asks. David compared this moment to the arrival of search ads in the early 2000s. Big change, big opening.

Broad informational blog posts used to bring visitors. Now the answer shows up right on the results page. You'll see fewer clicks, and the people who do arrive have often already decided. A parent who asks an AI assistant for outdoor nature camps for ages 10 to 12 wants to buy that exact thing.

How do I get AI search to recommend my program?

Make your website easy to quote and your reputation easy to find. David's list:

1. Add FAQ sections with short, direct answers.
2. Add comparison charts. Answer engines like anything that gives a quick, clear answer.
3. Add schema, the structured data that tells an engine what kind of page it's reading, such as an FAQ or an article. David says it sounds more technical than it is.
4. Collect reviews, constantly.
5. Ask happy families for video testimonials.
6. Watch community forums where parents discuss programs, and reply when yours comes up.
7. Write pages for buying-decision searches, specific down to city and age.
8. Ask the AI assistant itself how to rank better for your kind of program. Pick one suggestion and start.

My add: one thing, done, beats eight things planned.

How do I check how my program shows up in search?

Search like a stranger. Open a private browser window so results aren't shaped by your history. List the phrases a parent would type right before buying, like "best karate classes for kids" plus your city. Run each one in Google and in the answer engines. Note where you appear and what people say about you.

A made-up example of the math: you test 10 phrases and appear for 3. That's 3 ÷ 10 = 30%. The other 7 phrases are your content list. Each one gets a page or a video.

David's encouragement for local operators: local is far easier to win than national. His local basics:

• A complete Google Business and Maps profile.
• A steady flow of reviews. His team uses automations that ask families for them, and asks for a video whenever a parent says they're thrilled.
• Links to your site from local portals and resource pages.
• Link exchanges with businesses in your niche. He turns down offers to buy links.

More on the local side in my companion to Episode 13, marketing a kids enrichment program locally.

Do I need to be on video?

David's answer is yes, and it doesn't need to be polished. He sees search results pushing video higher than before, and social platforms favoring videos from a person over videos from a company. People don't want to be sold to. So build a personal presence, give helpful advice, and link your business in your bio. A window and a laptop behind you is fine. Consistency and usefulness carry it.

One thing I loved. David made an honest comparison video of programs like his and included his competitors. That is abundance in practice. Parents got what they needed to choose, and his program was in front of all of them. A rising tide lifts all boats.

What is a value ladder for a kids program?

A value ladder is a set of offers at different levels and prices, so a family can start small and go deeper. David added his about six years ago: a low-cost self-study option, then private tutoring, then a premium portfolio program for a narrow group. He credits it with steadying the business through swings in demand.

Most of us sell one thing. The camp. The lesson. Yet families are at different points with us. Some are enthusiasts who want more, and if all you offer is the intro class, you lose your biggest fans. There are fewer of them, and they'll pay more for the right next step. As an illustration, a music program might run group classes, then private lessons, then recital or audition prep. For pricing each rung, use my pricing guide.

The same thinking applies to your niche. When everyone sells what looks like the same class, parents compare on price and nobody wins. David's line was that the riches are in the niches. Find the one where you're the only one.

How do you grow without outside funding?

Slowly, and with a bank that knows you. David bootstrapped, and he called it a tough road that's worth it if you can manage it. The squeeze is timing: schools can take 30, 60, even 90 days to pay while payroll is due now. My post on invoicing a school helps with that side.

My takeaway: build your banking relationship years before you need to borrow. David pointed to SBA-backed loans as a route banks are comfortable with once you have a track record, and noted they can be expensive to repay. None of this is financial advice. Talk to your banker and your accountant.

What did 20 years teach David about hiring?

That choosing the right people is the skill he wishes he'd had on day one. His approach now: know your culture in plain terms, hire people who buy into it, take your time hiring, and act quickly when it's clearly not a fit. He also looks for people who love learning and wearing many hats, because the work keeps changing. My hiring process is in the Episode 3 companion.

Listen if you depend on parents finding you online, or if you're funding growth from your own revenue. It's 42 minutes.

Listen or watch: Spotify · YouTube · Apple Podcasts

Frequently asked questions

Should I still write blog posts?

David still does, with a different aim. He moved from broad list-style posts toward specific pages for parents close to a decision, and toward more video.

Should I buy backlinks?

David doesn't. He trades links with businesses in his niche and earns them from local resource pages.

Does a small local program need AEO?

Yes. Parents ask AI assistants for programs by city, age and interest. David's view is that local is the easier place to show up.

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Arielle Hammond, Ed.D. is the founder of enrops and host of The Youth Enrichment Leader, presented by enrops.