OpenAI opens business profiles in ChatGPT, and online-only companies can claim one too

OpenAI launched Businesses in ChatGPT in beta on November 10, 2026. Through Business Hub, companies can claim an existing profile or create a new one and add details about the business. The dashboard also shows how many times ChatGPT mentions the company and how many clicks it sends to the website.

The step-by-step process was documented by the chief technology officer of Search Engine Journal in a guide published on November 12, based on the publication's own signup. Unlike Google Business Profile, which lists brands, organizations, artists and online-only businesses among those that are ineligible, Business Hub accepts businesses that exist only on the internet. That is how the publication got in, registered as a website-type business.

Businesses with a physical address take a different route. Creating a new store profile led to a waitlist in the test described in the guide. For now, stores and restaurants can claim existing listings in the United States using a code sent by text message or automated call to the business phone.

What you need on hand

The process asks for a government-issued ID, access to the domain's DNS to add a TXT record, a public name, the legal business name, a trade name (DBA) if there is one, the business type, a physical address (P.O. boxes are not accepted), a legal address if different, and the tax or registration ID required in the country. Email and phone number were optional. Identity verification is handled by Persona on a mobile phone, using the camera, with no app to download.

Once the domain is verified, the business picks a category from a list and can write a description. The form itself warns that ChatGPT may use this information in relevant conversations. The guide recommends writing in the language customers use to describe what they need. There are also questions about shipping and returns, which show up in the profile preview even when they do not apply to the business.

Approval by Persona automatically publishes new profiles and adds the blue checkmark, so it pays to review everything before submitting. In the case described, verification was almost instant. The final screen also offers $500 in ad credit, subject to eligibility rules, but the profile can be kept without advertising.

Mentions and clicks

Business Hub numbers use aggregated data, with minimum thresholds before they appear, and the company has no access to users' conversations. For an online business, a mention only counts when ChatGPT cites the website: the brand name on its own does not count. Between October 14 and November 10, 2026, the publication's dashboard recorded 353,356 mentions and 2,663 clicks, with daily mentions up about 90% from the first day to the last.

OpenAI says claiming a profile does not guarantee better placement and that ChatGPT still makes its own recommendations and comparisons. The profile may include information from other sources. Each brand in a group has to be managed separately, and claiming the parent brand does not extend control to its locations.

For brand teams, Business Hub offers a channel to give ChatGPT the correct name, description and category and, for the first time, a count of mentions and clicks to compare against site traffic over the same period. It works as one more source about the company, and keeping name, address and phone number consistent across the website, listings and social channels is still necessary.