Own a Small Business? Read This

Call it a thoroughly modern dilemma.

You can get any style of shoe delivered right to your door in 24 hours via the Internet, but must sort through five pages of random Google results just to find the right number for the pizza joint down the street. 

Oh and P.S. the hours on that robo-generated listing are completely wrong.

Patch would hate to see anyone pizza-less and hungry (or without those killer boots) so that's why we launched Stonington-Mystic Patch in December 2010 with the area's most comprehensive and detailed business directory, called "Places."

You can find descriptions, hours, what credit cards are accepted, even parking for all your favorite businesses—each verified by an actual human being, and all 100 percent local.

Yes, we are pretty proud of "Places" but we still need your help.

Every registered user on Patch can rate businesses on a scale of one to five stars, and write a review. Owners of local businesses get extra bonuses when they claim a listing.

Owners or managers should search for their business listing and select "claim your listing" in order to make updates to the page. 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, and 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. Click the button to be taken to your dashboard.

What’s In It For You:

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 accounts.

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 like 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 would add that 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 and 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.

So claim your listing today to help keep Patch users up to date with your company and keep your listing looking fresh.

Have more questions about claiming your listing? Email Bree Shirvell at bree.shirvell@patch.com or call 860-280-5579.