Until now, what ChatGPT told a stranger about your business was something you could only guess at. You could ask it a few questions, squint at the answer and hope for the best. If it got your services wrong, your location was wrong or left you out entirely, there was nothing you could do except publish more content and wait.
That has changed. A new dashboard called Business Hub lets you claim your profile, correct your details and see how often ChatGPT mentions your business and sends people to your website. The feature is in beta, so some things will keep changing, but the claim process is live today.
This guide covers what to prepare, what to expect, and what claiming doesn’t do. We have also kept an eye on the early coverage, including Search Engine Land’s report on the launch, so you are not relying on guesswork.
What does “claiming your business in ChatGPT” actually mean?
Claiming means you prove you own the business, or are authorised to act for it, and OpenAI gives you control of the business profile that ChatGPT uses. Once your claim is approved and your identity is checked, you can update key details, see insights and, if you are eligible, set up a Business Agent.
Here is the part many people miss: ChatGPT may already show a profile for your business whether you claim it or not. Claiming is how you take control of it and correct it. It is not a sign-up form for a listing that does not exist yet.
The official reference is OpenAI’s own help page, Setting up your business on ChatGPT. It is worth keeping open in another tab while you work through the steps below.
Who can claim, and what is available at launch?
OpenAI says any eligible business located where ChatGPT is available can claim its profile. You need to be the owner or an authorised representative, and you need a way to verify your connection to the business.
Availability can differ by business type and country while the beta rolls out. Early guides report, for example, that local stores and restaurants may only be able to claim existing listings in the US at launch, while online businesses with a website have wider access. Business Agents, a separate feature that answers customer questions, is starting with eligible e-commerce and online service businesses in the US.
A beta note:
Rules, eligibility and screens may change as OpenAI refines the programme. Everything here was checked on November 12, 2026. If your screen looks different, trust what Business Hub shows you and OpenAI’s help page over any guide, including this one.
What you need before you start
Five minutes of preparation will save you a lot of back and forth. Have these ready:
A ChatGPT account you want to be the administrator for the business, ideally a work account rather than a personal one.
Access to at least one verification method: your business phone, a business email address, your website’s DNS settings, or your Shopify login
Someone who can add a DNS record if you do not manage your own domain
A government-issued ID and your business registration details, because there is a separate identity check later
Consistent business details: name, address, phone, website and a one-line description that match everywhere
Also read the Businesses in ChatGPT terms before you accept them, especially if you are claiming on behalf of a client. Take the same care you would with any agreement you click through.
How to claim your business in ChatGPT: the 6 steps
Step 1: Open Business Hub and search for your business.
Sign in to ChatGPT and open Business Hub from the sidebar. If you cannot see it there, go to chatgpt.com/business-hub directly.
Type your business name in the search box. Use the account you want to be in charge of the listing, because that account becomes the administrator.
Step 2: Select your listing and confirm the managing account.
Pick the listing that matches your business and confirm the ChatGPT account that will manage it.
If you see a Contact support button instead of a claim option, the listing is locked, usually because someone has already claimed it. Use that button to request access.
If your business is not listed and you run an eligible online business, Business Hub may offer an option to add it.
You will be asked how customers usually interact with you, for example, at a physical location or through a website.
Step 3: Choose a verification method.
Business Hub shows only the methods that apply to your business. These are the four you will see most often:
Method
How it works
Usually suits
Business phone
A code is sent by text or automated call to the number shown on the listing.
Local businesses with a published number
Business email
A verification message goes to an email address connected to the business.
Businesses with a domain-based email
Website domain (DNS)
You add a TXT record that ChatGPT gives you to your domain’s DNS settings.
Online businesses and anyone with DNS access
Shopify
You connect your store from Business Hub or the Shopify admin.
Shopify merchants
If someone else manages your domain, send them the exact TXT record details shown on screen. Copy the type, name and value precisely, because a small typo is the most common reason DNS verification fails.
Step 4: Wait for OpenAI to approve your claim.
OpenAI reviews the claim and emails its decision or asks for more information. While the claim is under review, you can cancel it if you picked the wrong account or method.
Approval gives you access to your business in Business Hub, but a few features stay locked until the next step.
Step 5: Pass the Persona identity check.
After approval, the person managing the listing has to complete a separate identity check through Persona. Until that is done, you cannot publish changes, connect a product feed, see analytics or create an agent.
Keep your ID and business registration details in hand so this takes minutes rather than days.
Step 6: Update your details and open Insights.
Once both checks are approved, open your business in Business Hub. Review every detail, fix anything outdated, and add product information if you sell online.
Then select Insights to see how your business shows up in ChatGPT. Do this on day one so you have a baseline to compare against later.
What Insights shows and what it does not
Business Hub reports mentions, website clicks and what OpenAI calls discovery topics, which are the common themes across conversations where your website is cited. OpenAI says it does not share people’s conversations with businesses, and insights only appear when there are enough conversations to meet its privacy thresholds. Help documentation indicates the reporting window covers the past 28 days.
For an online business, a mention appears to count when ChatGPT references your website, so your brand name appearing on its own is not enough. That makes citable, clearly written pages matter more than ever.
Early descriptions of the tool also suggest it does not show prompt-level detail or competitor benchmarks. That is why many teams pair it with an outside tracker. Semrush’s guide to tracking your ChatGPT visibility explains how to measure mentions, citations and sentiment alongside what Business Hub reports.
What claiming does not do
This is where we want to be straight with you, because a lot of the early excitement is overselling it.
It is not a ranking switch. OpenAI’s own guidance says claiming does not guarantee more visibility in ChatGPT’s answers.
It does not give you full control. ChatGPT can also use other sources when it answers questions about your business, so your website and third-party listings still matter.
It does not replace everything else. Being the source ChatGPT trusts still comes down to clear content, consistent information and real authority.
If you want the bigger picture of how ChatGPT chooses what to cite, read our guide on how to make your business show up in ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity answers. Claiming fixes the facts. Optimisation earns the mentions.
Before you click claim, get your facts straight.
ChatGPT builds its picture of your business from your website and from what other sites say about you. If those sources disagree, claiming will not magically reconcile them. Spend an hour on this checklist first. It is the same groundwork behind our AI SEO audit checklist.
Run through this before you claim:
✓ Is your business name written the same way on your website, Google Business Profile and directories?
✓ Do you have a clear one-line description of what you do and who you serve on your homepage?
✓ Are your address, phone number and opening details identical everywhere they appear?
✓ Are your service pages current, with outdated pages updated or removed?
✓ Do you have structured data on your key pages so machines can read your details accurately?
✓ Have you asked ChatGPT a few questions about your business and noted what it gets wrong?
✓ Do your pages answer real customer questions clearly enough to be cited?
Most of this is solid on-page SEO and local listing optimisation work, supported by proper schema markup for local SEO and AI answer engines. If you serve customers in a specific area, your local SEO foundations are the first thing ChatGPT is likely to lean on.
Do you need a Business Agent?
Along with Business Hub, OpenAI introduced Business Agents, which answer customer questions about your products and policies inside ChatGPT. They are starting with eligible e-commerce and online service businesses in the US; so many businesses cannot use them yet. If you are curious about where this is heading, our piece on AI agents and how they change the way people find your business explains why it matters even if you cannot set one up today.
Frequently asked questions
How do I claim my business in ChatGPT?
Sign in to ChatGPT, open Business Hub from the sidebar, search for your business, select the matching listing, verify your connection by phone, email, DNS or Shopify, wait for approval and then complete the Persona identity check.
Is it free to claim my business in ChatGPT?
OpenAI does not require an ads account or a ChatGPT Enterprise agreement to claim an eligible business, and early reports describe claiming and managing a profile as free at launch. Because this is a beta, confirm with OpenAI’s help page before you plan around it.
Do I have to claim my business?
No, and ChatGPT may show a profile for you either way. Claiming gives you the ability to correct details, see insights and, where eligible, set up an agent. If accuracy matters to your business, it is worth doing early.
Can businesses in India claim a ChatGPT listing?
OpenAI says any eligible business located where ChatGPT is available can claim a profile. Supported verification methods and business types can differ by country during the beta, so open Business Hub and search for your business to see exactly what is offered to you.
What if my listing is locked or already claimed?
If you see a Contact support button instead of a claim option, the listing is locked. Use it to request access and be ready to show that you represent the business.
Can my agency manage the listing for me?
Yes. The administrator who claimed the business can add teammates and give agency access, so nobody needs to share a personal login.
What is the difference between claiming and optimising?
Claiming corrects the facts ChatGPT holds you. Optimising makes sure your website, listings and content give ChatGPT good reasons to mention you. You need both, and our AI SEO services cover the second part.
The bottom line
Business Hub is the first time OpenAI has given business owners a direct say in how they appear in ChatGPT. It will not make you rank by itself, and it is still a beta, but the businesses that claim early get cleaner facts, a first-party view of mentions and clicks, and a head start on everyone who waits.
So do it in this order: tidy your business details, claim your listing, pass the identity check, record your baseline in Insights, and then do the optimisation work that earns real mentions.
If you would like a second pair of eyes on your website and business details before you claim, start with a free audit. We will show you what ChatGPT is likely to find, what
