ChatGPT Now Lets Businesses Claim Their Own Listing

On 10 November OpenAI launched a beta called Businesses in ChatGPT. It lets a business claim its listing inside ChatGPT, keep its details up to date and see how people engage with it. OpenAI's announcement describes it as a way to "manage your business information, get insights about how your business shows up, and turn interest into action in ChatGPT."

Claiming is done through a new area called Business Hub. Coverage of the launch quotes OpenAI as saying eligible businesses can claim wherever ChatGPT is available, which on that wording should take in UK businesses. The other half of the launch, Business Agents, is an AI assistant that answers customers' questions from a business's own information. For now OpenAI limits that to eligible online shops and online service businesses in the United States.

What it means for a small business

If ChatGPT mentions your business when someone asks it for a recommendation, it is working from whatever it has picked up about you. This beta gives you a way to see what that is and put it right, much as a Google Business Profile does on Google.

So the job is a short one. Look for Business Hub and, if your business is eligible, claim the listing. Then check that your name, address, phone number, opening hours and website read exactly as they do on your own site and your Google profile. A customer who finds two different phone numbers for you has a reason to hesitate, and that is true whichever app they found you in.

You can leave Business Agents alone for now. They aren't open to UK businesses yet. You claim the listing yourself through OpenAI's Business Hub, so be wary of anyone offering to "get you into ChatGPT" for a fee. It's also a beta, and OpenAI says it plans to bring both parts to more countries and types of business over time, so expect the details to shift.

None of this replaces the basics. Our guide on whether a Google Business Profile alone is enough still holds: a listing is a signpost, and it needs somewhere good to point. If you want help with that part, our guides are free to read, or get in touch.

The full guide: Is a Google Business Profile Alone Enough?