Own a Small Business in Clearwater?, Join Patch in 3 Minutes

When Patch launched in Clearwater last year, editors and freelancers ventured to local businesses to collect information for our directory. The result: Patch Places, a spot where users can find descriptions, hours, accepted payment methods and more for spots around town.

All users can add events taking place at local spots, rate the business on a scale of one to five stars and add a review. If you tell your best customers and friends to review you on Patch, their reviews will show up on the Patch homepage! Plus, owners of local businesses get extra bonuses when they claim a listing.

1. Owners or managers can search for their business listing and select "claim your listing" in order to make updates to the page.
2. A form will pop up asking for your name, contact information and proof of ownership.
3. Soon, someone from Patch will contact you to verify your authenticity. 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 be taken to your dashboard.

Once you're approved, you can see all kinds of great information about your business on Clearwater Patch. 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 and Twitter accounts. You can edit some of the information about your business if it changes. Also, you can add your own photos and video to show off how great your place is.

Questions? Contact Clearwater Patch editor Jared Leone.