To register your business in the directory, start by visiting Local.com and searching for your business using the boxes in the red bar at the top of the page. If your business is already listed, look for the link that says, “Own this business? Sign in to update listing.” You’ll be taken through a few steps to establish an account and create your free listing. If your business doesn’t show up in the search results, click on the red header bar to return to the front page, then look for the link right below the header that says, “Own a business? Get your business listed….” This link will also take you through the process for setting up an account and creating a listing.

A few minuses (and one plus) to be aware of:

• Free directory listings don’t include your company logo. You’ll have to pay for a premium listing if you want to give your listing any graphic appeal. Several other local-search directories (most notably Google Local) allow graphics at the free-account level of service.
• Local.com makes its money from paid advertising. Soon after you post your free directory listing, you’ll get a call from one of their ad sales representatives. But so far, the clients to whom I’ve recommended Local.com report that the sales reps don’t take a high-pressure approach and will take “no” for an answer if you say that you’re not ready to spend money on advertising.
• Local.com rejects ads with post office box addresses. You’ll need to supply a physical address, but if you don’t want it published, you can look for the option below the address area of the sign-up form that says “Do not display my business address.” Your business will show up in searches as “Serving your area.”
• If you have trouble signing up, try the Live Chat feature of the web site. When my listing was rejected because I used my P.O. box address, one of Local.com’s live-chat support staffers explained the rejection, waited while I plugged in my physical address, and then reviewed and approved the listing while we were still connected. I appreciated this proactive approach to customer service.

If you’ve used Local.com, I’d appreciate hearing about your experiences in the comment area below, or send me e‑mail.

YouTube permits registered users to post an unlimited number of videos and to share, rate, and comment on other users’ videos. Unregistered users can watch and share videos. The ease of sharing has turned some YouTube offerings into “viral” videos—clips that spread around the Internet like wildfire (see Evolution of Dance, for example)—and has made some obscure producers into Internet celebrities.

As a registered user, you can also set up a “channel,” a user page that organizes your own videos and others that you’d like to feature. If you’re producing video content, YouTube can be a great way to find an audience and to lead them to other elements of your online presence. Google also offers the option of designating your content as a Promoted Video. Promoted Videos are a pay-per-click (PPC) advertising system for driving viewers to your channel.

Your channel can contain a photo or logo image, information about your business or organization, and a link to your web site, blog, or Facebook fan page. The channel can be customized to coordinate with other branding efforts. For example, we’ve configured the font and color scheme of The Clutter Fairy’s YouTube channel to match the client’s web site:

YouTube channel
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Web site
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