The Quick Answer
On November 10, 2026, OpenAI opened a beta called Businesses in ChatGPT. Any eligible business with a website can now claim a verified profile, correct the facts ChatGPT shows about it, and see how often it is mentioned.
Claiming is free at launch and takes about fifteen minutes. The profile is the easy part. The work that decides whether ChatGPT recommends a business happens before the claim, and that is where most owners should start.
This guide covers what launched, what to fix first, how to claim step by step, and what a claimed profile will not do.
What OpenAI Launched On November 10
The beta has two parts, and they are open to different groups.
| Part | What It Does | Who Can Use It |
|---|---|---|
| Business Hub | Claim and verify a profile, update business details, add a product feed, and view insights | Eligible businesses with a website, anywhere ChatGPT is available |
| Business Agents | An AI agent that answers customer questions on behalf of the business, inside ChatGPT | Eligible ecommerce and online service businesses in the United States |
OpenAI says the feature reaches the 1.2 billion people who use ChatGPT each week. When a business appears in an answer, the person can open its profile. If the business has an agent, the person can start a separate, clearly labelled conversation with it.
Three details matter for small business owners.
- It is free for now. Business Hub and Business Agents cost nothing at launch.
- Insights are aggregated. Owners see mentions, website clicks, and common conversation topics, and only once there is enough activity. OpenAI says it does not share private conversations with businesses.
- Ads do not buy recommendations. Businesses can sponsor an agent as an ad destination, but OpenAI says paying does not change how often ChatGPT recommends a business.
Think of it as the Google Business Profile moment for AI search. A generation of owners learned that an unclaimed listing is a liability. The same lesson now applies inside a chat window.
Why This Matters More Than Another AI Feature
Growing up above a family restaurant teaches one lesson early. People cannot choose a place they cannot find. For decades that meant a sign, a street corner, and word of mouth. Then it meant a website and a Google listing. Now the first conversation about a business often happens with an AI assistant, before the owner knows anyone is looking.
The shift is measurable. Bain’s 2026 holiday outlook, reported by eMarketer, found that roughly one in four online shoppers plan to start their holiday shopping on an AI platform such as ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude.
The first conversation about your business may now happen without you in the room.
This is not theory. My own work as a female AI keynote speaker is the proof. The 2026 engagements that mattered most, including Comcast, PBS, KPMG, Philip Morris International, and the National Sporting Goods Association, came from event planners who asked an AI assistant for a recommendation. None came from outbound pitching. The planners had a question, the AI had an answer, and the work of being that answer was done months earlier.
That experience shaped a simple view. A claimed profile is a door. What ChatGPT already knows about a business decides whether anyone is sent to it.
What To Fix First, Before You Claim
Business Hub reads the website attached to a profile. If the site is closed to OpenAI, unclear, or inconsistent, the claim will verify a weak listing. Four checks come first.
1. Confirm ChatGPT Can Read Your Website
One early tester, developer Yunus Erturk, documented his claim and found his host was returning an error to ChatGPT’s crawlers while Google got through. His robots.txt file looked fine. The block was at the server.
His test takes one minute. Log out of ChatGPT, paste in your website address, and ask for a summary of the page. If ChatGPT cannot open it, ask your web host or developer to allow OpenAI’s crawlers before doing anything else.
2. Ask ChatGPT What It Already Says About You
Your business may already have a profile built from public data. Erturk found one for his company with an address he never supplied. Ask ChatGPT three questions and save the answers:
- Who is [business name] and what do they offer?
- Who would you recommend for [your service] in [your city or industry]?
- What are the hours, prices, and policies for [business name]?
Wrong answers are your repair list. The free AI Visibility Test scores the same thing in a few minutes.
3. Make Your Facts Match Everywhere
AI assistants cross check. A business name, address, phone number, and description that differ between a website, Google Business Profile, LinkedIn, and directory listings give the model reasons to doubt all of them. Pick one version of each fact and correct every place it appears.
4. Answer The Questions Customers Actually Ask
Business Hub reports the common topics in conversations that mention a business. That tells us what ChatGPT values: clear answers to real questions. Put pricing ranges, service areas, delivery and return policies, and a plain description of who you serve on your website in full sentences. A short FAQ page does more here than a beautiful homepage.
A claimed profile is a door. What ChatGPT already knows about your business decides whether anyone is sent to it.
How To Claim Your Business In ChatGPT, Step By Step
The steps below combine OpenAI’s announcement with the early tester’s account. The beta is rolling out gradually, so your screens may differ slightly.
- Choose the right ChatGPT account. The claim attaches to the account you are logged in with, and moving it later may not be simple. Use a company account the business controls, not a personal one. A free plan worked for the tester.
- Open Business Hub and search for your business. Follow the claim link in OpenAI’s announcement. Look at the existing profile, if there is one, before changing anything.
- Start the claim and accept the terms. Only an authorised person should do this.
- Pick a verification method. OpenAI can confirm a claim through a business phone number, email address, website domain, or Shopify account, depending on the business.
- Verify quickly. The phone option sends a code. The domain option asks you to add a DNS record, and the tester’s token expired after about 24 hours. If a developer manages your domain, book their time before you begin.
- Wait for review. Approval is not instant. The tester saw three stages (claim received, review in progress, decision reached) with the decision sent by email.
- Complete identity verification if asked. In the tester’s account, editing details, adding a website, and uploading products stayed locked until a government ID check was complete.
- Update your profile. Once approved, confirm the website, description, logo, and policies. Businesses that sell products can add a feed with pricing and availability.
- Check your insights after a few weeks. Mentions, profile views, and website clicks appear only after a minimum level of activity. An empty dashboard on day one is normal.
Setup took the tester about fifteen minutes. Review time is not published.
Should You Launch A Business Agent?
For now, agents are limited to eligible ecommerce and online service businesses in the United States, and the builder is still rolling out. OpenAI’s rules are sensible: an agent must say it is AI, keep prices accurate, and avoid pressure tactics.
The advice here is to claim the profile now and wait on the agent. An agent that answers customers in your name deserves the same care as a new hire. Decide what it may say, test it with hard questions, and review its answers before it speaks to a single customer.
What Claiming Will Not Do
A claimed profile gives you accuracy and visibility into your own numbers. It does not give you rank. OpenAI does not say that claiming changes how often a business is mentioned, and its guidance is that a claim does not guarantee higher placement or sales.
That is good news for small businesses. If money or a badge decided the answer, the largest brands would win every time. Instead, ChatGPT still recommends the businesses it can read, understand, and trust. Those are things an owner of any size can earn.
AI cannot recommend what it cannot understand. Clarity is the new storefront.
So the order of work is simple. Fix what ChatGPT can read. Correct what it says. Claim the profile. Then keep publishing clear, useful answers to the questions your customers ask.
The Human Side Of Being Found
It is easy to read this news with a knot in the stomach. One more platform, one more profile, one more thing to manage. A calmer view is available. Every shift in how customers find businesses has rewarded the same qualities: being clear about who you serve, being consistent, and being worth recommending. AI search has not changed that. It has only made it visible faster.
Start with the one minute test. Ask ChatGPT about your business today, and let the answer tell you what to do next.
For owners who want a guided path, the Get FOUND Method walks through each step of becoming the answer AI gives. For event planners looking for a keynote on what AI search means for their industry, check my availability.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is Businesses In ChatGPT?
Businesses in ChatGPT is a beta OpenAI launched on November 10, 2026. It lets eligible businesses claim a verified profile inside ChatGPT, manage their information, and see aggregated insights on how people engage with them.
How Much Does It Cost To Claim A Business In ChatGPT?
Nothing at launch. Business Hub and Business Agents are free during the beta. OpenAI has not announced future pricing.
Who Is Eligible To Claim A Profile?
Businesses with a website, located where ChatGPT is available, subject to OpenAI’s industry, location, and verification checks. Business Agents are narrower: eligible ecommerce and online service businesses in the United States.
Does Claiming A Profile Improve Ranking In ChatGPT?
No. OpenAI does not say that claiming changes how often a business is recommended, and paying for ads does not change it either. Recommendations still depend on what ChatGPT can read and trust about the business.
Can A Business See What People Ask ChatGPT About It?
Not individual conversations. OpenAI says it does not share user chats with businesses. Owners see aggregated counts and common topics once there is enough activity.
What If ChatGPT Shows Wrong Information About A Business?
Claim the profile and correct the details there. Then fix the source. Wrong answers usually trace back to an outdated website, an inconsistent directory listing, or a site ChatGPT’s crawlers cannot open.
How Is This Different From Google Business Profile?
The idea is similar: a verified listing the owner controls. The difference is where it appears. A Google profile shows in search results and maps. A ChatGPT profile shows inside a conversation, at the moment someone asks for a recommendation.
