ChatGPT now lets companies claim an official profile, correct what it says about them, and see how often people are sent to their website. OpenAI opened the beta on November 10, 2026. This guide walks through what you get, what you need, and what to be careful about.

What you get

The program has three parts. First, a verified profile that shows your business details inside ChatGPT answers. Second, a dashboard called Business Hub, where you manage that profile and add product information. Third, an optional Business Agent: a branded chat assistant that talks to shoppers for you. Agents are limited to eligible US ecommerce and online service businesses for now.

OpenAI’s pitch is reach. It says about 1.2 billion people use ChatGPT every week, and until now businesses had no official way to influence or measure how they appear there.

Who can join

Any eligible business in a region where ChatGPT is available can apply. Eligibility depends on your industry, your location and OpenAI’s verification checks, and the person who applies must own the business or be authorized to act for it.

Some applicants get a faster route. Shopify merchants can connect their store from Business Hub or the Shopify admin. Existing OpenAI Enterprise customers and advertisers can go through their OpenAI representative.

Expect early friction. On launch day, at least one non-US business landed on a waitlist, and publishers asked whether they qualify, because OpenAI’s material talks about companies selling products and services.

Links to bookmark

Start with these official pages, and read the two policies before you apply:

• Claim your business in ChatGPT: the sign-up page and eligibility FAQ.
• OpenAI’s launch announcement: the full overview.
• Businesses in ChatGPT policy: rules for claiming and managing a profile.
• Business Agents policy: eligible categories for agents.

Because the process involves identity checks, enter Business Hub only through OpenAI’s own pages, never through a link in a social post.

Get ready before you apply

Have these in hand so verification does not stall:

• Your business website address.
• Access to your domain’s DNS settings, or a public main phone number that can receive a call or text.
• A government-issued ID for the person managing the profile.
• Your Shopify admin login, if you sell there.
• Accurate prices, stock levels, delivery terms and return policies, since ChatGPT may draw on them.

Claiming your profile, step by step

1. Open Business Hub from the sign-up page and search for your business name. Pick the existing entry or create one.
2. Prove you represent the company, either by phone or text to your main number or by DNS verification.
3. Wait for review. The status moves from received to in progress, the decision arrives by email, and you can withdraw while it is pending.
4. Verify your own identity with a government ID. OpenAI requires this before you can edit details or publish an agent.
5. Once approved, update your profile, add a product feed if you have one, and look at your Overview tab.

A blue checkmark in OpenAI’s example screens marks a profile managed by the real business. One naming trap: ChatGPT Business is a separate workplace subscription, not this program.

Reading your dashboard

Business Hub separates Brand insights from Agent insights and offers seven-day and 28-day views. Brand insights shows mentions, profile views, website clicks, a trend chart and the five most common discovery topics, meaning themes in conversations where your business or site shows up.

Three limits matter. OpenAI never shares users’ conversations or agent chats with you. Data appears only once volume passes thresholds the company has not disclosed, so small businesses may see blanks at first. And the clicks tile itself warns that clicks do not confirm visits or sales.

Keep expectations realistic. OpenAI’s demo toy shop shows 15,356 mentions and 5,432 clicks in a week, but the first real dashboards shared publicly were far smaller: 690 mentions and 24 clicks over 28 days in one case, 28 mentions and one click in another. Both were labeled as running through November 9, so expect a delay of at least a day.

Business Agents in plain terms

When ChatGPT mentions your business, a shopper can open your profile, see your description, delivery and return terms and product cards, then choose Start chat or View website. Start chat opens a conversation with your agent, which answers using your product and policy information and the guidelines you set. OpenAI says this chat is clearly labeled and kept separate from ChatGPT’s own answers.

You can also pay to sponsor the agent and use it as the destination for ChatGPT Ads, with sponsored placements labeled. The announcement does not mention taking payments inside the chat, and OpenAI ended its earlier in-chat checkout in March after Walmart reported it converted at a third of the rate of click-out links. Google and Meta already run similar Business Agent products, so you may end up managing more than one.

Cautions

• Unclear definitions. OpenAI has not defined what counts as a mention or which events build discovery topics.
• No promised boost. ChatGPT may use your information, but OpenAI has not said claiming raises how often you appear.
• Hijacking risk. The announcement does not explain how to dispute a profile claimed by someone without authority.
• Costs. No fee for claiming or publishing an agent is mentioned, but sponsorship follows ChatGPT Ads pricing. One working paper found a paid ChatGPT ad visit earned US shops $0.89 against $2.45 for a paid Google search visit, so test small.

Quick answers

1. Is it free to claim my business?
OpenAI’s pages mention no claiming fee. Paid promotion is separate and runs through ChatGPT Ads.

2. Can I see what people asked about my business?
No. You only get aggregated mentions, clicks and discovery topics, never the prompts or chats.

3. Do I need a Business Agent?
No. It is optional, and for now limited to eligible US ecommerce and online service businesses.

4. How long does verification take?
OpenAI gives no timeline. Your claim moves from received to in progress, and the decision arrives by email. Some launch-day applicants were placed on a waitlist.

5. Will claiming my profile get me mentioned more?
OpenAI has not said so. It only says ChatGPT may use the information you provide, so don’t assume a visibility boost.

6. Are website clicks the same as visits or sales?
No. The dashboard itself notes that clicks do not confirm visits or conversions, so check them against your own analytics.

7. Can businesses outside the US join?
In principle yes, wherever ChatGPT is available and the business is eligible. In practice, at least one non-US claim was waitlisted at launch, and agents are US-only.

8. Is ChatGPT Business the same product?
No. ChatGPT Business is a workplace subscription. Businesses in ChatGPT is the profile and agents program.

9. Can publishers or media sites sign up?
Unclear. OpenAI’s material focuses on businesses selling products and services and does not address publishers.

Bottom line

Claiming a profile is a low-effort way to correct what ChatGPT knows about you and to get your first official numbers from OpenAI. Claim early, record a baseline from your 28-day view, and compare clicks with your own website analytics before spending on sponsorship. OpenAI says it plans to expand to more markets and categories, with no dates given.