How I Accidentally Started a War (and Why It’s the Best Local SEO Move I’ve Ever Made)

byJacobZwack

348 followers

3 weeks ago

Real Estate is boring. Burgers are viral. Here is how I’m taking over my local market by letting the internet roast me.

The Problem with Local Niches We all know the struggle. You pick a niche (for me, it’s local Real Estate in Minnesota), you build the site, and you write the content. "Market Updates for 2026." "How to Sell Your Home." "Best Schools in Anoka."

It’s solid content. It’s helpful. And honestly? It’s boring.

Nobody wakes up on a Tuesday excited to share a "Mortgage Interest Rate Forecast" on their Facebook wall. I needed a way to get eyeballs on my brand The North Metro Realist without begging for leads.

So, I picked a fight.

The "Burger Wars" Strategy I decided to launch a tournament to find the best burger in the North Metro area.

Phase 1: The "Imperfect" Launch I posted a bracket with just 8 restaurants. I deliberately included some controversial picks and left out a few local legends. The Result: I got absolutely roasted. The comments section on local community pages exploded. "How could you forget Shortstop?!" "That place is closed!" "You’re an idiot!"

In the world of engagement, anger is currency. My notifications blew up.

Phase 2: The "Hero" Pivot Instead of fighting back, I listened. I wrote a "Mea Culpa" post. I told them they were right. I fired myself as the "Commissioner" and let the commenters set the new bracket. We expanded from 8 teams to a 32-Team "March Madness" Style Tournament. I removed national chains. I added the dive bars they screamed for.

Phase 3: The Tech Stack I didn't just write a listicle. I built an interactive experience on my WordPress site (mnbyjz.com):

• Common Ninja Widget: A live, interactive voting bracket embedded directly on the page.
• The Hook: No lead capture (yet). I removed the barrier to entry. I want 10,000 votes, not 50 emails. The goal is branding, not immediate sales.
• The Content: I wrote detailed breakdowns of the 4 "Regions" (The River, The Hub, etc.), treating local dive bars like heavyweight boxers.

Why This Works (The WA Takeaway) Why am I telling you this? Because you can do this in any niche.

• Affiliate Marketing: Don't just review "Best Laptops." Run a "Battle of the Budget Laptops" bracket and let your readers vote.
• Dog Training: Run a "Cutest Puppy in [Your City]" contest.
• Gaming: "Best RPG of the Decade" tournament.

The "Secret" SEO Benefit:

1. Time on Page: People are spending 5+ minutes reading the matchups and voting. Google loves this.
2. Social Signals: This link is getting shared into local Facebook groups, group chats, and text threads.
3. Local Authority: I am no longer just "Jacob the Realtor." I am "Jacob, the guy running the Burger Wars."

The Long Game When these people vote, they see my face. They see my logo. They read my bio that says, "I used to bartend, now I sell houses."

Next year, when they think about selling their home, they aren't going to call the stiff agent in the suit on the billboard. They're going to call the guy who listened to them about the burgers.

Conclusion Stop being boring. Engagement beats perfection every time. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have 32 burgers to judge.

Jacob Zwack The North Metro Realist