On November 10, 2026, OpenAI launched Businesses in ChatGPT, a beta that lets a business owner claim the profile ChatGPT shows for their business, keep its details current, and see how often ChatGPT mentions it. Eligible US ecommerce and online service companies can also publish a Business Agent, a labeled chat where shoppers ask about your products and policies. It all starts in a place called Business Hub.
A claim sounds like one step. OpenAI’s help page puts a second gate behind the claim itself, and most of the features people want sit behind that second gate. This guide walks through the whole path in the order OpenAI documents it, says who qualifies as of November 11, and lists what people hit in the first 24 hours.
TL;DR. Open Business Hub from the ChatGPT sidebar, search for your business, pick a verification route (phone, email, website domain or Shopify, whichever it offers you), and wait for approval. Then pass a separate identity check with Persona before you can publish changes, connect a product feed, see Insights or create an agent. Claiming is free at launch. OpenAI says plainly that claiming “does not guarantee higher placement or sales.”
One honest limit first. We did not claim a business for this guide: it needs a real business and a government ID. Every step below comes from OpenAI’s own pages, which we opened and read on November 11, 2026, plus launch coverage. The troubleshooting section includes problems people posted on X in the first day. We found those through a search tool and did not open the posts ourselves, so we say so wherever they appear.
What Businesses in ChatGPT is
OpenAI’s page for the launch says: “Claim your business to share what you offer, keep your information up to date, and understand and shape how you show up.” Three pieces make it up.
- A claimed profile. You update details such as your website, business description, category, logo, and delivery and return policies. A blue check appears on a claimed profile once the identity check is approved. Retailers can also upload a product feed with prices and availability.
- A Business Agent. A conversation with your business inside ChatGPT, built from the product and policy information you supply and guidelines you control. OpenAI’s help page says customers can only chat with an agent you have published.
- Insights. Aggregate numbers on how often ChatGPT mentions your business and sends clicks to your website.
Two details save a lot of confusion. First, OpenAI’s page says ChatGPT “may show information about your business whether or not you have an agent when customers ask relevant questions.” Claiming gives you a way to manage the information you provide, and the help page notes that ChatGPT “may also use other sources.” Second, this is not the ChatGPT Business plan, OpenAI’s separate ChatGPT Business workspace product. OpenAI says you don’t need an Ads account or a ChatGPT Enterprise agreement to claim an eligible business.
On cost, VentureBeat reported, citing Digiday’s briefing with OpenAI’s VP of monetization, Benji Shomair, that claiming, managing a profile and publishing a Business Agent are free at launch. Shomair left open the possibility of charging in the future.
Who can claim at launch
This is where the headlines run ahead of the documents. Claiming and the agent have different rules.
| Your business | Claim a profile | Business Agent |
|---|---|---|
| US ecommerce or online service business with a website | Yes, if eligible | Yes, if eligible |
| US local store or restaurant | Claim an existing US listing only | OpenAI’s pages give no date |
| Online business outside the US | May claim or add a profile where ChatGPT and the required verification are supported | Not at launch: agents are US only |
| Local business outside the US | OpenAI’s help page documents the existing-US-listing allowance only | Not at launch |
| A business with no website | OpenAI says claiming is “initially available to eligible businesses with a website” | Needs a website |
The wording behind the table, from OpenAI’s help page: eligible businesses “can claim an existing business or add one where ChatGPT is available and the required verification is supported. Availability depends on the business’s location and type.” For agents: “They’re available to eligible ecommerce and online service businesses in the US with a website.”
Three more rules from OpenAI’s pages:
- You must own it or be authorized to represent it. The Businesses in ChatGPT policy bars impersonation, fake or duplicate profiles and misstated ownership.
- OpenAI can say no. The policy says “Not every business can create or claim a profile,” and that OpenAI may hold off on some categories until it has the safeguards for them.
- Verification is not eligibility. The Business Agents policy says “Business verification alone does not guarantee agent eligibility,” because OpenAI also looks at the business category and the agent’s intended use.
We found no salon-specific ruling in the pages we read. A salon that takes bookings online should not assume that makes it an “online service” business for the agent.
Before you start
Gather these before you open Business Hub.
- The ChatGPT account you want to be the manager. OpenAI’s flow asks you to confirm the account you will use. The help page says invitations to teammates or an agency can depend on the account used to claim, so do not use a throwaway.
- Access to at least one verification route. A business phone that can get a text or a call, a business email, control of your website’s DNS settings, or a Shopify store login.
- For Persona, a government-issued ID, business registration information and proof you are authorized. OpenAI says you “may need” all three.
- Your official business details, written the way your records have them. OpenAI’s advice for a failed identity check is to make sure the business name, address and any registration or tax number match your official records.
- A website. See the table above.
The claim, step by step
OpenAI’s help page lists the sequence. We have put it in a diagram and then explained each step.
Step 1: open Business Hub and search. Sign in to ChatGPT, open Business Hub from the sidebar and search for your business by name. Select the listing that matches and confirm the ChatGPT account that will manage it. If you were sent a claim invitation, open the personal link in your email instead and sign in with the address that received it.
Three things can appear here instead of a normal listing, and OpenAI’s page explains each:
- “Contact support” means your listing is locked.
- No listing found: an eligible online business may see an option to add one. Local stores and restaurants can currently claim only an existing US listing.
- Already claimed: use the three-dot menu on the profile, choose “Dispute ownership,” and verify with Persona that you are authorized. OpenAI adds: “Claiming a profile or disputing ownership doesn’t change its visibility in ChatGPT.”
Step 2: verify your connection to the business. OpenAI offers different routes to different businesses. The page says to use one of the methods “offered for your business, such as phone, business email, website domain, or Shopify.” You may not see all four.
Step 3: wait for claim approval. OpenAI reviews the claim and emails its decision or asks for more information. While it is under review you can choose “Cancel claim.” Then approval lets you open your business in Business Hub. That is not the finish line.
The four verification routes compared
| Route | What you do | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Business phone | Choose a text or an automated call, select Get code, enter the code sent to the number shown | The code goes to the number on the listing, so it must be a number you can answer |
| Business email | Select Business email, then Get code, and enter the code sent to the address associated with the business | The address must be one you can read |
| Website domain | Add the TXT record ChatGPT shows to your domain’s DNS settings, copying the type, name or host and value exactly, then select Verify domain | DNS changes “may take time to appear.” If someone else manages your domain, OpenAI says to ask them to add it |
| Shopify store | Select Shopify store, then Connect Shopify, review the permissions, log in and follow the prompts | You must be able to sign in to the store for the business you are claiming |
Which one should you pick? The help page doesn’t rank them, and it does not say every claimant is offered all four. Our reading of the table: use whichever you can finish in one sitting without changing anything on a live site. A website domain claim means changing your DNS settings, so find out who manages them before you start. If you do not run your own DNS, the phone or email route may be the cleaner choice when it is offered. One Shopify-specific note from OpenAI’s launch page: Shopify “is one way to get started. You can also claim your business in ChatGPT without a Shopify store.”
The second gate: identity verification with Persona
After the claim is approved, OpenAI requires identity verification with Persona, and everything useful sits behind it. This is the part to know before you plan your afternoon.
What OpenAI says Persona gates, in its own words: “to publish changes to your business information, connect a product feed, view insights, or create a business agent if your business is eligible.” The blue check also waits for it: “Claiming your business alone doesn’t give its profile a verified badge. The verified badge, shown as a blue check, appears after your Persona verification is approved.”
Four details people miss:
- A new profile publishes itself. “If you use Persona to create a new profile, OpenAI’s approval automatically publishes the profile. There’s no separate publishing step for the profile, so continue only when you’re ready.” Check your details before you submit.
- You can do it later. If you verified by another route first, go to the Business tab, open your profile, find “Complete verification with Persona” and select Verify.
- Submitting is not approval. “Submitting information to Persona doesn’t mean verification is approved.” OpenAI emails its decision or a request for more information, and you can cancel a submission while it is under review.
- Support can’t unpublish a published profile through a setup request. OpenAI says only unpublished drafts can be deleted, and that its Support is “unable to delete, unpublish, or hide a published profile as part of a business setup or ownership request.” Another reason to check first.
If a Persona check fails or expires, OpenAI says to follow the instructions in the email, choose “Try again” if it is offered, and “make sure the business name, address, and any registration or tax number you provide match your official business records.” You can’t create an agent while verification is pending or after it fails.
After approval: what to fill in
Once the claim and Persona are both approved, the Business tab opens up. The help page lists what you can update: your website, business description, product or service category, logo, delivery policy and return policy, plus a cover photo and other optional details. Two cautions from the page:
- OpenAI reviews changes before they go live. “OpenAI reviews and publishes changes. Updates can take time to appear in a listing or a ChatGPT answer.”
- ChatGPT may use other sources too. The same page says “ChatGPT may also use other sources when answering questions about your business.” Your profile is one input, not the only one.
Product feed. If you sell products, you can connect a feed to share prices and availability, including a Shopify feed. A CSV upload has to follow OpenAI’s product feed specification, or you can give a hosted URL that links to the feed file. Products have to follow OpenAI’s Commerce policies. The page adds a line worth remembering: “Connecting a feed doesn’t publish an agent or guarantee that ChatGPT recommends your products.”
The accuracy rule. The Businesses in ChatGPT policy says what you add must “truthfully represent the business and be kept current,” including name, category, address or service area, hours, contact details and what you sell. It bars false or misleading claims about prices, availability, qualifications or likely results, and fabricated reviews. The policy also says OpenAI “does not verify every detail or resolve every factual dispute,” so the accuracy is yours to keep.
Setting up a Business Agent
This part applies only if you are an eligible US ecommerce or online service business with a website and your Persona check is approved.
OpenAI’s launch page shows a three-step path for Shopify merchants: connect your store in your Shopify admin or in Business Hub, review your business information, then preview and publish your agent. For Shopify, the page says current product details, pricing and availability “are shared automatically through Shopify’s catalog.” And Shopify is optional: the help page says eligible businesses “can set up a business agent whether or not they use Shopify.”
The agent steps, from the help page:
- Open your claimed business in the Business tab. If Shopify setup already created a draft agent, open it. Otherwise create one if the option is there.
- Review the information the agent will use, such as product details and your return policy.
- Write the instructions for how the agent should answer, following OpenAI’s Business Agents Policy.
- Preview it with a question customers often ask. OpenAI’s example is “Can I return an item I bought on sale?”
- If the answer is wrong, update the information or instructions and test again.
- Select Publish. Customers can only chat with a published agent.
Here is a worked sample. The shop is made up, and so are the details: a candle shop called Ember & Wick, with a return window and shipping times that we invented to show the shape. The text is a sample we wrote and have not run through Business Hub, so what OpenAI’s agent would do with it is untested.
Ember & Wick sells hand-poured soy candles. Answer questions about our products, shipping and returns using only the product feed and the policies below.
Returns: unused candles can be returned within 30 days of delivery. Customers pay return shipping unless the item arrived damaged.
Shipping: orders ship within 3 business days. If a customer asks about a delivery date, give the shipping window and send them to our order tracking page.
If you do not know something, say so and point to our contact page. Do not guess prices, stock or delivery dates.
Do not take orders or payments in the chat. Send customers to our website to buy.
Each line follows a rule on OpenAI’s pages. The agent explains products and policies and links to your website, because the help page says agents can’t complete purchases, make bookings or check an order. The policy bars instructions that invent “offerings, prices, availability, credentials, reviews, guarantees, or results,” and it says the agent “must be clear that it is AI representing the business.” The Business Agents Policy also bars pressure and false urgency, and it bars asking for unnecessary or high-risk personal information such as health details or government IDs. So leave the “scarcity” copy out of your instructions.
Two more facts about agents. VentureBeat reported that the setup guide describes one agent per claimed profile, and that OpenAI has not said whether that is a hard limit. And on how agents relate to ads: VentureBeat reported that businesses can make a Business Agent the destination for a ChatGPT ad, and quoted OpenAI’s help center saying Sponsored Agents are “in a limited test with selected advertisers.” We covered that side in You Can Now Advertise Inside ChatGPT.
Reading your Insights dashboard
Once Persona is approved, open your business in Business Hub and select Insights. OpenAI’s definitions are short enough to read in full.
| Metric | What counts | What it is not |
|---|---|---|
| Mentions, online business | ChatGPT references your website | The brand name alone doesn’t count |
| Mentions, local business | ChatGPT shows a result for your location | The customer doesn’t have to open the listing or visit |
| Website clicks | How often people click through to your website | Search Engine Roundtable quotes the dashboard tooltip: clicks “don’t confirm website visits or conversions” |
| Discovery topics | Common themes in answers that mentioned or cited you | Not individual prompts, and not a direct measure of customer intent |
The window is the past 28 days. And two warnings from OpenAI that matter on day one. “Counts may be incomplete. A blank metric can mean activity hasn’t reached the reporting threshold, data is still being collected, or reporting is unavailable. It doesn’t necessarily mean zero activity.” And “Businesses don’t receive individual prompts or consumer conversations, including chats with their business agents.”
A dashboard with nothing in it is therefore not evidence that ChatGPT ignores you. Search Engine Roundtable’s Barry Schwartz wrote that he verified by DNS and at first saw no data, and that other users reported getting their data back. And one more note. The launch coverage lists “profile views” too, but OpenAI’s help article does not define them. Datastudios says views are reported but not further defined, so don’t base a decision on that number.
Claiming is not ranking
OpenAI is blunt about this, on its launch page and its help page. The launch page: “ChatGPT continues to make independent recommendations and comparisons. Claiming does not guarantee higher placement or sales.” The help page: claiming “doesn’t guarantee increased visibility or give you direct control over ChatGPT’s independent recommendations,” and “Advertising doesn’t influence ChatGPT’s independent answers.” And Datastudios, reporting Shomair’s briefing: the agent and hub should not affect ranking, and ChatGPT must “maintain objectivity.”
So what does the claim buy you? A way to manage the information you provide about your business, a first-party dashboard, and, if you qualify, an agent. OpenAI says it does not guarantee placement. Getting recommended is a separate job: clear pages, accurate listings, answers to the questions customers ask. We teach that in Answer Engine Optimization for Small Business (first 2 lessons free), and for local businesses in AI Visibility for Local Businesses (first 2 lessons free). The two jobs fit together: claim first so the facts are right, then work on being the answer.
If you are weighing this against the Google side of things, our earlier guide to connecting Gemini to your Google Business Profile covers that one. One post Grok found on X, from November 10, called it “the google my business moment for ai.” OpenAI’s launch page and help article do not mention Google Business Profile, so treat that as one person’s comparison, not a map.
What this means for you
If you run a Shopify store. This route has the fewest moving parts, and OpenAI’s launch page lays it out as three steps. Connect the store from your Shopify admin or from Business Hub, then finish Persona. Preview your agent with real return and shipping questions before you publish.
If you run a store on another platform. You can claim without Shopify, but the website-domain route needs DNS access, and a hosted platform may not give you any, as the X post in the troubleshooting section below describes. If you hit that wall, try the phone or email route when it is offered. See the troubleshooting section for what one store owner on X reported.
If you run a local restaurant, salon or shop. Be realistic. OpenAI’s help page says local stores and restaurants can currently claim only an existing US listing, and agents are for ecommerce and online services. Your realistic win today is a correct profile and local mentions in Insights.
If you sell services online. OpenAI’s pages say agents are for eligible ecommerce and online service businesses in the US with a website, and they do not list which services count. Read the industry requirements in the Business Agents Policy before you assume you qualify.
If you are outside the US. An online business may be able to claim a profile where ChatGPT and the required verification are supported. Agents are US only at launch, and OpenAI says access is expanding to more types of businesses over time. We found no list of supported countries, so try it and see what the verification route offers you.
If you work for an agency. OpenAI’s help page says the admin who claimed a business can add teammates in Business Hub and grant an agency access, using each person’s own ChatGPT account. It also says “Don’t forward a personal claim invitation to give someone access.”
If you manage a multi-location brand. The help page says each distinct brand is managed separately, central management across a parent company’s brands and locations “isn’t currently available,” and claiming the main brand doesn’t claim its locations. For a managed claim process, ask your OpenAI account contact.
Edge cases and things that go wrong
Items marked “per X posts” come from posts of November 10 and 11 that Grok’s search found and we did not open ourselves, so they are reports, not confirmed bugs.
The verification code never arrives. Per X posts, some people on November 10 got errors sending a code by text or email, such as “can’t send messages” and “We can’t send emails right now.” OpenAI’s page doesn’t mention an outage. If it happens to you, try the other route if you are offered one, and then try again later.
Your host won’t let you add a TXT record. Per one X post on November 11, an owner of a Tiendanube store in Argentina found the domain route asked for a TXT record with an expiring token, the platform had no panel to add one, and the owner did not want to change DNS on a live site. OpenAI’s page says someone else managing your domain can add the record. If you can’t reach the DNS, use another route.
Persona says no and gives no reason. One X post on November 10 described a rejection despite supplying ID. OpenAI’s guidance for a failed or expired check is to follow the email, use “Try again” if it is offered, and make sure the name, address and registration or tax number match your official records. If you can’t retry, or Business Hub still shows verification as incomplete after approval, OpenAI says to contact Support with the step you were on, any error message and a screenshot with sensitive information removed.
You can’t find your business. An eligible online business may see an option to add itself. A local store or restaurant can currently claim only an existing US listing, so if it isn’t there, you can’t add it for now.
Someone has claimed your business. Use “Dispute ownership” from the profile’s three-dot menu and verify with Persona. Anyone worried about hijacking should know the policy bars false ownership claims. Search Engine Roundtable’s author said he was nervous about it and expected OpenAI to handle it. Grok found no confirmed hijacking case in the first 48 hours, which is a statement about two days and not a guarantee.
Insights is blank. See the section above: it can mean below the reporting threshold, still collecting, or unavailable. If it stays blank, OpenAI says to contact Support.
You can’t create an agent. Check that you are using the claimed profile, that your Persona check was approved (not just submitted), and that your business meets the location, type and industry requirements. OpenAI notes that some businesses can manage a profile without being eligible for an agent.
Your edit doesn’t show up. OpenAI reviews changes and says updates can take time to appear. A saved change doesn’t mean every answer will reflect it yet.
What it can’t do
- It can’t buy you placement. OpenAI says claiming does not guarantee it, on both its launch page and its help page.
- The agent can’t complete purchases, make bookings or check an order. It explains products and policies and links to your website.
- It can’t show you what customers asked. Businesses don’t get individual prompts or conversations, including chats with their agents.
- It can’t claim your locations for you. Claiming the main brand doesn’t claim its locations.
- Support can’t unpublish a published profile through a setup or ownership request. Check your details before you publish.
- It can’t be used by every business yet. Eligibility depends on industry, location and OpenAI’s checks.
What isn’t documented yet
Datastudios, drawing on reporting of an OpenAI briefing, lists open items, and our own reading of the pages agrees with most of them: the verification criteria for each industry, the timing for local-business and non-US agents, how long Insights data is kept, what “views” counts, whether the hub stays free, and multi-location features, which Shomair said would come “over time” with no date. If your plan depends on one of these, wait.
Questions people are asking
Is it free? At launch, yes, per VentureBeat’s report of Digiday’s briefing with Shomair. He did not rule out charging in the future.
Do I need Shopify? No. OpenAI’s launch page says you can claim your business without a Shopify store, and its help page says an eligible business can set up an agent whether or not it uses Shopify.
Do I need an ads account or ChatGPT Enterprise? No. OpenAI’s help page says you don’t need an Ads account or a ChatGPT Enterprise agreement to claim an eligible business.
Will claiming make ChatGPT recommend me more? OpenAI says it doesn’t guarantee that, and that it doesn’t give you direct control over its recommendations.
What does the blue check mean? It appears after your Persona verification is approved. Claiming alone does not give the verified badge, per the help page.
What do I need for Persona? OpenAI says you may need a government-issued ID, business registration information and proof that you are authorized to represent the business.
Can I claim a business I don’t own? No. You must own it or be authorized to represent it, and the policy bars impersonation and misstated ownership.
Can my agent take orders? No. The help page says it can explain products and policies and link to your website, where customers complete those actions.
Can I give my agency access? Yes. The admin who claimed the business can add teammates and grant an agency access, with each person using their own ChatGPT account.
What if my business has no website? OpenAI says claiming is initially available to eligible businesses with a website.
The bottom line
Claiming your business in ChatGPT is worth doing if you qualify and the information ChatGPT shows about you matters, because it is free at launch and it lets you manage the details you provide. Go in expecting the identity check, not just the claim. Insights may be blank at first: OpenAI says a blank metric can mean the reporting threshold hasn’t been reached, and Grok’s search found early claimants posting empty dashboards. OpenAI says claiming does not guarantee higher placement. Treat it as housekeeping that has to be done before the real visibility work begins.
Your first move: open Business Hub, search for your business, and read which verification routes it offers you before you decide anything. If you want the visibility side, start with Answer Engine Optimization for Small Business (first 2 lessons free).
Sources
- Businesses in ChatGPT: Claim Your Business, OpenAI, read November 11, 2026
- Setting up your business on ChatGPT, OpenAI Help Center, read November 11, 2026
- Businesses in ChatGPT policy, OpenAI, updated November 10, 2026
- Business Agents Policy, OpenAI, updated November 10, 2026
- VentureBeat, OpenAI lets you claim your business in ChatGPT and set up a custom agentic AI customer sales rep, November 10, 2026
- Search Engine Roundtable, ChatGPT Business Hub is live with click data, November 10, 2026
- DataStudios, ChatGPT Business Hub: free business agents for US brands, profiles and Insights
