ChatGPT now has an official way for businesses to claim a listing, keep their details current, and see some aggregated insights. OpenAI calls the product Businesses in ChatGPT (it's in beta), and you manage it in Business Hub. They announced it on November 10, 2026, and say ChatGPT reaches 1.2 billion people each week (that's OpenAI's figure, not an independent count).
If you've ever claimed your Google Business Profile, the idea will feel familiar. You prove you represent the business, then you can update information ChatGPT may use when someone asks about businesses like yours.
Let's be real, though. Claiming a listing does not guarantee that ChatGPT will recommend you more often, put you higher in an answer, or bring you more sales. OpenAI says that plainly. ChatGPT still makes its own independent recommendations and comparisons, and advertising does not influence those independent answers.
Claiming a ChatGPT profile is a new, official way to keep your details accurate. It is not a substitute for the SEO and AEO work we cover in what AEO is.
What ChatGPT Business Hub is
Business Hub is the place inside ChatGPT where you claim your business, manage its information, and, once you're fully verified, view insights on how people engage with you there. OpenAI also describes Business Agents, an optional add-on we'll cover later. You do not need an Ads account or a ChatGPT Enterprise agreement to claim an eligible business.
You can claim a business only if you own it or are authorized to represent it. Eligibility depends on things like industry, location, and OpenAI's verification and integrity checks, and not every business can create or claim a profile. OpenAI currently says claiming is initially available to eligible businesses with a website. Availability also depends on the business's location and type. Local stores and restaurants can currently claim only an existing U.S. listing.
What claiming changes, and what it doesn't
Once your claim is approved, you can access the business in Business Hub. That is only the first step. You still need to complete identity verification with Persona before you can publish changes to your business information, view insights, connect a product feed, or create an eligible Business Agent.
OpenAI's help article says the verified badge, shown as a blue check, appears after identity verification.
What claiming does not do matters just as much:
- It does not guarantee higher placement or more sales.
- It does not give you direct control over ChatGPT's independent recommendations.
- Advertising does not influence ChatGPT's independent answers.
- Claiming a profile, or disputing ownership of one, does not change its visibility in ChatGPT.
In short, you get a way to submit accurate details. ChatGPT can still use other sources, and it still decides what to recommend.
How to find and claim your profile
OpenAI's official steps are:
- Sign in to ChatGPT and open Business Hub from the sidebar. Search for your business by name.
- Select the listing that matches your business and confirm the ChatGPT account you'll use to manage it.
- Choose one of the verification methods shown and follow the prompts.
Use a company-controlled ChatGPT account for that second step. The admin who claims the business can later add teammates in Business Hub, or grant an agency access, and each person should use their own ChatGPT account. Don't forward a personal claim invitation just to give someone access.
If you received a claim invitation from OpenAI, open the personal link in that email and sign in with the email address that received it.
Then wait. OpenAI reviews the claim and emails you its decision or a request for more information. While it's under review, you can cancel the request.
The two verification layers
There are two separate steps. A lot of confusion comes from mixing them up.
1. Prove the claim. ChatGPT will offer one or more of these methods for your business:
- Business phone: a text message (SMS) or an automated call. You request a code and enter the code sent to the number shown.
- Business email: a code sent to the email address associated with your business.
- Website domain: add the TXT record shown in ChatGPT to your domain's DNS settings. Copy the type, name or host, and value exactly. If someone else manages your domain, ask them to add it. DNS changes may take time to appear. Then return to ChatGPT and select Verify domain.
- Shopify store: connect the Shopify store for the business you're claiming and follow the prompts.
If you control your domain, a website-domain TXT record is often the most durable option, because it isn't tied to a phone number or inbox someone might lose access to. That's our practical suggestion, not an OpenAI ranking of methods.
2. Complete identity verification with Persona. This is a separate second step. OpenAI says you'll need to finish it before you can publish profile changes, view insights, connect a product feed, or create an eligible Business Agent. Persona may ask for a government-issued ID, business registration information, and proof that you're authorized to represent the business.
OpenAI reviews your Persona submission and emails you its decision or a request for more information. Submitting information to Persona does not mean verification is approved. If a check fails or expires, follow the instructions in the email. If "Try again" is available, submit corrected information, and make sure the business name, address, and any registration or tax number you provide match your official records.
If you can't find the listing, or it's already claimed
If you can't find your business, and you run an eligible online business, you may see an option to add a listing. Local stores and restaurants can currently claim only an existing U.S. listing.
If the listing is already claimed, open its profile, select the more options menu, then choose Dispute ownership. You'll follow prompts to verify with Persona that you're authorized to represent the business. Disputing ownership does not change the listing's visibility in ChatGPT.
If you see "Contact support," the listing is locked. Select Contact support to request help with access.
If you have more than one brand or location, each distinct brand is managed separately. OpenAI currently says central management across a parent company's brands and locations is not available, and claiming the main brand does not claim its locations.
What you can update after you're verified
After both your claim and your Persona verification are approved, you can update details such as your website, business description, product or service category, logo, delivery policy, or return policy. You can also add a cover photo and other optional details. Information you add has to follow the Businesses in ChatGPT policy, which requires accurate, current information, including the business name, category, address or service area, hours, contact details, and products or services offered. This is a good moment to keep your name, address, and phone consistent with the rest of your listings.
If you sell products, you can connect a product feed, including a Shopify feed, to share prices and availability. Connecting a feed does not publish an agent, and it does not guarantee that ChatGPT will recommend your products.
OpenAI reviews and publishes changes. Updates can take time to appear in a listing or in a ChatGPT answer, and ChatGPT may still draw on other sources. A saved change does not mean every answer will reflect it immediately.
One practical warning from OpenAI's help article: if you use Persona to create a new profile, OpenAI's approval automatically publishes that profile. There is no separate publishing step, so continue only when you're ready. Only unpublished draft profiles can be deleted. OpenAI Support is unable to delete, unpublish, or hide a published profile as part of a business setup or ownership request.
How to read the insights (without over-reading them)
After both verifications are approved, Business Hub can show aggregated insights for the past 28 days, including mentions and website clicks. You can also see discovery topics. Insights appear only when there is enough activity to meet OpenAI's thresholds. OpenAI does not share individual conversations or Business Agent chats with businesses.
Here's how OpenAI defines the main metrics:
- Mentions: For an online business, a mention counts when ChatGPT references the business's website. The brand name alone does not count. For a local business, a mention counts when ChatGPT shows a result for that location, even if the customer doesn't open the listing or visit the website. So an online business can be named in an answer without a recorded mention, if ChatGPT used the brand name but not the website.
- Website clicks: how often people click through to your website.
- Discovery topics: common themes in ChatGPT answers that mentioned or cited your business. These are aggregate categories, not individual prompts and not a direct report of customer intent.
A blank metric is not necessarily zero. OpenAI says it can mean activity hasn't reached the reporting threshold, data is still being collected, or reporting is unavailable. If a metric stays blank, contact OpenAI Support. Use the numbers as a rough picture, not as a scoreboard you try to game week to week.
Business Agents are optional and separate
After your claim and Persona verification are approved, eligible ecommerce and online service businesses in the United States can build, test, and launch a Business Agent. Eligibility is separate from claiming a profile, and some businesses can manage a profile without being eligible for an agent. You do not need Shopify to set up an agent if you're otherwise eligible, and you do not need an agent or ads to claim a profile.
When a Business Agent is available, customers can choose to start a conversation with the business about its offerings. OpenAI says that conversation is clearly labeled, separate from the customer's original ChatGPT conversation, and distinct from ChatGPT's independent answers.
An agent cannot currently complete purchases, make bookings, or check a customer's order. It can explain products and policies and link to your website, where customers finish those actions. Publishing an agent is a separate, optional step. Customers can only chat with a published agent, so review it and publish only when you're ready.
What a small business should do first
If you want a simple order of operations, use this:
- Confirm you own the business or are authorized to represent it.
- Sign in with a company-controlled ChatGPT account, not a personal inbox you'll lose track of.
- Open Business Hub from the sidebar and search for your listing. Local stores and restaurants should look for an existing U.S. listing.
- Complete the claim verification. If you control your domain, use the DNS TXT method.
- Get your details right before you finish Persona, especially if you're creating a new profile that can publish automatically once approved.
- After approval, correct your website, description, and contact details so they match your other listings.
- Record your first 28 days of insights before you change a dozen other things on your website. That gives you a baseline. Then get back to the website, reviews, and consistency work that actually helps AI tools understand your business, which we walk through in what AEO is.
FAQ
Does claiming my business make ChatGPT recommend it more often?
No. Claiming lets you manage the information you provide about your business. It does not guarantee increased visibility, higher placement, or sales, and it does not give you direct control over ChatGPT's independent recommendations. Advertising does not influence those independent answers.
Is claiming the listing the same as Persona identity verification?
No. They are two separate steps. First you prove the claim with a method ChatGPT offers, such as business phone, business email, website domain, or Shopify, and wait for OpenAI to approve it. Persona identity verification is a second step, and OpenAI says you need it before you can publish profile changes, view insights, connect a product feed, or create an eligible Business Agent. OpenAI's help article says the verified badge appears after identity verification.
Do I need to run ads or publish a Business Agent to claim my business?
No. OpenAI says claiming your business, publishing an agent, and advertising are separate. After your claim and Persona verification are approved, you can manage your information and use available insights without publishing an agent or running ads.
What if I can't find my business, or someone else already claimed it?
If you run an eligible online business, you may see an option to add a listing. Local stores and restaurants can currently claim only an existing U.S. listing. If it's already claimed, use Dispute ownership and follow the Persona prompts. If you see "Contact support," the listing is locked and you should request help with access.
Why haven't my updated business details appeared in ChatGPT yet?
OpenAI reviews and publishes changes to business details. Updates can take time to appear in a listing or in a generated answer, and ChatGPT may also draw on other sources. A saved change does not mean every answer will reflect it immediately.
Final Beefy Tip
Claim the listing so the details ChatGPT may use are accurate and current. Then get back to the unglamorous work that actually earns trust: a clear website, consistent business information, and being a business people already talk about. The claim is a form. The reputation is the reason you get recommended.
Want a hand getting your search and AI presence in order? Take a look at our search engine optimization services, or read what AEO is if you want the bigger picture first. Then book a strategy call or call us at (281) 626-8544. Beefy Marketing has been helping businesses get found since 2013, from our Tomball office, serving Greater Houston.