Businesses: Claim Your Listing for Free

Before Manhattan Beach Patch became the first Patch site to launch in California in February 2010, staff visited local businesses to collect information for the MB Patch directory. Now, nearly 2 years later, Patch "Places" is where readers will find descriptions, hours, accepted payment methods, and much more for businesses in Manhattan Beach.

While all users can add events, can rate businesses on a scale of one to five stars, and can add reviews, local business owners get an extra bonus when they claim a listing.

To claim your business listing, owners/managers should search for their business listing and select "claim your listing." A form will pop up asking for your name, contact information, and proof of ownership.

Within a few days, someone from Patch will contact you to verify your authenticity Then you'll be approved as the business owner. Once approved, you'll have a "Manage Your Listing" button on the top of your Places page. You simply click the button to be taken to your dashboard.

From the dashboard, you can make changes to and update your listing. On the left side of the dashboard, you have several options: Your Stats, Edit Listing, Manage Photos & Media, Reviews, Free Tools, Paid Tools, and Contact Sales.

Your Stats:

Here you can see how many users have rated, reviewed or follow your listing. You can e-mail your customers to seek out more reviews, and link the Patch Place to your Facebook or Twitter account.

Edit Listing:

Add photos, website information, hours of operation, contact information and more under the "Basic Info" tab. Some of this information cannot be changed, but you can request a new description if you think your business is inaccurately described.

Choose "Extra Info" to add information such as the founding date of your business, what kinds of payments you accept, if there's street parking or a lot, and much more.

Manage Photos & Media:

Here you can add and edit photos and choose which image is featured. If you have video or PDFs, you can add them here, too.

Reviews:

You can see what people have to say about your business.

Free Tools:

Post events and add job openings to our classifieds section, also known as the Marketplace.

Paid Tools:

You can upgrade your listing with a video profile, add a message from the owner or become a featured business on the Places page for a fee. Learn more about these options and how to get in touch with a sales team member.

A Free Tool You Just Have To Use:

So, claim your listing today to help Patch readers know what's going on with your business and to keep your listing looking fresh to continue to attract customers.

Patch staff contributed to this article.