When El Cerrito Patch launched in summer 2010, editors and freelancers ventured out to local businesses and institutions to collect information for our directory. Now, that directory – accessible under the Places tab at the top of our homepage – is a place where business owners can get the word out to readers about their business, including its hours, accepted payment methods, and much more.

Any Patch user can rate a local business or add a review, but owners of local businesses get extra bonuses when they claim a listing. There’s no charge. Your claimed listing on Patch can serve as a free Web site for your business. You can add as much information as you like – including photos, flyers, even video.

HOW TO DO IT

First sign in with your Patch account. (If you don’t have one, it too is free – just click “Join” in the upper right corner of the Patch homepage.) Owners or managers can then search for their business listing and click the “Claim it!” button. A form will pop up asking for your name, contact information and proof of ownership.

You can also view our one-minute video that shows how easy it is. (You can see it by clicking the video attached to this article or by accessing it directly on YouTube.)

(If your business isn’t listed, please email directorysupport@patch.com to have your business added. It’s free!)

Within a few days, you can expect someone from Patch to contact you to verify this information. You’ll then 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 get to your dashboard.

YOUR DASHBOARD

From the dashboard, you can make many changes and updates to your listing. On the left side of the dashboard you have several options.

Your Stats: Here you can see how many users have rated, reviewed or followed your listing. You can email your customers to seek out more reviews, and link the Patch Places listing 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 parking lot, and much more.

Manage Photos Media: Here you can add and edit photos and choose which image is featured. If you have videos or PDFs, you could add them here.

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.