Customers enjoy local shopping. Therefore, it is not surprising that 85 percent of their purchases are made within a 24-kilometer radius of their residence. And that neighbour-hood businesses need to make sure they perform well in local searches. Because local search is where you will get the most sales, this is an essential condition for your business’s success. Here are five fundamental rules for attracting these likely customers, or those who are looking to spend money at a local business.

1. Get the most feedback and comments from your customers on sites where online users can give their opinion. How?

If you own a restaurant, write “Honest feedback on Tripadvisor or YellowPages.ca would be greatly appreciated” on a small sign next to the cash register or on the bill. Over time, it might make a difference. If you are a lawyer and a client has been particularly pleased with your work, ask him to post a reference on LinkedIn. Feedback and comments demonstrate increased activity, making it simpler for search engines to locate you. A quick tip: pay attention to what people are saying about your company and participate in the conversation when it makes sense. It’s also important to tell your side of the story when you get a bad review and to offer solutions whenever possible.

2. Engage in social media activity to generate conversation about you.

Your position in search results rises when people share a link to your website on Twitter or “Like” your Facebook page. Google + has a significant impact on search engine results.

3. Be listed in all reputable directories, including Google Places, the Yellow Pages, and Bing Places for Business.

You can also try the website of your professional association and online directories created by various government levels, among other places. Keep iBegin and the Better Business Bureau in mind. Stay away from poor quality directories that are of no use to online users. Your inclusion in these directories may even hurt your search engine ranking. And when you register in a directory, be sure to complete all the fields in the registration form. Use the same words as your customers to describe what you have to offer if at all possible, and include images and even videos. Be sure that you are in the right category.

4. On each page of your website, include your address and phone number (for example, in the footer).

Use the same format for your address and phone number everywhere. So don’t use “123 Main Street, Anywhere, QC” on your website and “123 Main, Anywhere, Quebec” in a directory. Why? This makes it easier for the search engine to link each of these to your company.

Tip: Prepare a standard text with your contact information, a short description, a long description, and so on. Copy and paste excerpts into the forms. (An expert tip: Use microformats like hcard and Schema.org.)

5. Update your website regularly.

Change a picture, the special of the week, etc. Websites that never change have worse results. Do all of these guidelines have to be followed? Businesses in your area that provide the same goods and services as you are competing with you. Being better than them is what matters most. Check out what your competitors are doing, and be sure to always apply these rules more rigorously and more regularly than them, especially since these are simple things to do that don’t cost anything.