On November 10, 2026, OpenAI launched Businesses in ChatGPT and the ChatGPT Business Hub, a free portal where a business can claim its ChatGPT profile, verify ownership, correct its details, connect product feeds and see how often ChatGPT mentions it. For the first time, businesses get an official way to manage how they appear inside an AI assistant rather than only in search results.
That’s a turning point for AI search visibility. Until now, getting a brand represented accurately in ChatGPT meant indirect work: a strong website, consistent listings, schema markup and earned mentions, then hoping the model picked them up. Those still matter. But now there’s also a front door, and agency clients across Halifax and North America will start asking about it this month.
Key facts at a glance
- Launched: November 10, 2026, as a beta.
- Cost: free to claim and use. No ChatGPT Ads account is required.
- Verification: ownership by business phone, business email, a DNS record or a Shopify login, then a Persona identity check.
- Analytics: mentions, profile views, website clicks and discovery topics for the past 28 days.
- Availability: wherever ChatGPT is offered and verification is supported. Business Agents are US-only.
- No guarantee: OpenAI says claiming doesn’t give direct control over ChatGPT’s independent recommendations.
Business Hub’s core features, explained
1. Verification: proving the business is yours
Verification happens in two stages. First, you prove ownership with a business phone number, a business email address, a DNS TXT record on the website’s domain, or a Shopify login. OpenAI reviews each claim. Second, a Persona identity check confirms the person acting for the business. It can ask for government ID, business registration details and proof that you’re authorized. Editing, product feeds, insights and agents unlock only after this step.
Takeaway: the DNS route is often the cleanest for agencies, because a TXT record doesn’t touch the client’s email (MX) settings.
2. Self-service profiles and Shopify product feeds
Once verified, a business can correct the facts ChatGPT shows: description, categories, contact details and links. Businesses that sell products can share live prices and availability. Shopify merchants can connect their store from Business Hub or from the Shopify admin. Everyone else can upload a CSV feed, or a hosted feed URL, that follows OpenAI’s product feed specification and its required fields.
3. 28-day, privacy-safe analytics
The Insights tab shows mentions, profile views, website clicks and discovery topics for the past 28 days. It’s privacy-safe by design. Discovery topics are grouped themes, not individual prompts, and numbers appear only once activity passes a reporting threshold. For an online business, a mention counts when ChatGPT references its website. The brand name alone doesn’t count.
4. Business Agents (US only, for now)
Eligible US ecommerce and online service businesses with a website can publish a Business Agent: an AI assistant that answers customer questions inside ChatGPT on the business’s behalf. OpenAI checks the business category and intended use before an agent goes live. A business can also sponsor its agent as a ChatGPT Ads destination, but OpenAI says advertising doesn’t influence recommendations.
What Agencies Are Asking AI Right Now: Real Prompts & Direct Answers
These are the questions agency owners and SEO leads are typing into ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity this week, with short, direct answers.
How do I list my agency’s clients on ChatGPT Business Hub?
Claim each client business separately. Someone with authority at the business claims it by business phone, business email, DNS record or Shopify login, and OpenAI reviews the claim. After approval, the client’s representative completes a Persona identity check, then gives your agency access to manage the profile.
Can a digital marketing agency manage multiple client accounts inside ChatGPT Business Hub?
Yes, one business at a time. A client’s admin can add teammates and grant an agency access to manage the business or its agent, and each person signs in with their own ChatGPT account. There’s no central dashboard for many businesses, and claiming a main brand doesn’t claim its locations.
Is ChatGPT Business Hub available in Canada or outside the US?
Yes, for many businesses. Business Hub is available wherever ChatGPT is offered and verification is supported, so Canadian online businesses can claim, edit, connect feeds and see insights. Two features are US-only today: claiming local storefront listings (stores and restaurants can only claim existing US listings) and Business Agents.
How does OpenAI verify a business, and how do agencies avoid risking client email or MX records?
Ownership is verified by phone, email, DNS TXT record or Shopify. Identity is then verified by Persona. To protect email, add only the TXT value ChatGPT displays, never edit MX, SPF or DKIM records, and check the host name carefully, because entering the full domain can create a doubled name that fails verification.
Is ChatGPT Business Hub free, or do clients have to buy ChatGPT Ads to show up?
It’s free. Claiming and using Business Hub doesn’t require an Ads account or an enterprise agreement. Ads are a separate, optional product, and OpenAI says advertising doesn’t influence ChatGPT’s recommendations.
Does ChatGPT Business Hub replace Google Business Profile or schema markup?
No. Business Hub manages what ChatGPT shows. Google Business Profile still powers Google Maps and local results, and schema markup still helps every search engine and AI model understand the website. Keep all three consistent, because conflicting hours, addresses or prices confuse AI answers.
How do I connect a client’s Shopify store or product feed to ChatGPT?
Shopify stores connect directly from Business Hub or the Shopify admin. Other businesses upload a CSV file, or a hosted feed URL, that follows OpenAI’s product feed specification. Fill every required field, including price and availability, and validate the file before upload.
How can an SEO agency package and white-label ChatGPT Business Hub setup?
Sell it as a fixed-price setup, commonly $499 CAD or more per business, then add a monthly retainer for profile updates, feed maintenance and insights reporting. Using a white-label partner keeps your team’s hours free while your agency’s brand stays on every deliverable.
What analytics and ROI metrics can agencies show clients from Business Hub?
Report the four 28-day metrics: mentions, profile views, website clicks and discovery topics. For ROI, tag the website link in the profile and track those sessions and conversions in the client’s own analytics, then compare month over month once data passes OpenAI’s reporting threshold.
What this means for local SEO in Halifax, Canada and multi-location brands
The headline for Canadian businesses: online businesses can claim their profiles now, while local storefronts may need to wait, because storefront claiming currently covers existing US listings only. That doesn’t mean doing nothing.
- Halifax and Atlantic Canada storefronts: get the underlying data right now. Align your Google Business Profile, website contact page and LocalBusiness schema so name, address, phone and hours match exactly. When storefront claiming opens in Canada, setup takes minutes instead of a cleanup project.
- Canadian online and service businesses: claim now. Early profiles start collecting 28-day insights sooner, and accurate facts reduce the chance of ChatGPT repeating outdated information.
- Multi-location brands: plan per location. Claiming the main brand doesn’t claim its locations, and there’s no central management across brands and locations yet. Keep a master sheet of every location’s details and owners.
- Ecommerce brands selling into the US: connect the product feed first, then check whether you qualify for a Business Agent.
Takeaway: Business Hub rewards clean, consistent business data. The GEO groundwork that gets a brand cited in AI answers is the same groundwork that makes a Business Hub profile accurate.
Let RankMeTech set it up in 48 hours
Claiming, verification, Persona prep, profile writing, feed formatting and an analytics walkthrough take time per business. RankMeTech handles the whole setup in 48 hours from the moment we get access:
- $79 CAD per business, any number of clients
- White-label for agencies: your brand on every report, and we never contact your clients
- One TXT record for DNS verification, with no changes to email or MX settings
- Business owners welcome: we’ll set up your own profile the same way
See the agency offer and get your clients listed, or ask Waseem a question.
Sources: OpenAI Help Center, “Setting up your business on ChatGPT”. Businesses in ChatGPT is in beta, so features and eligibility may change. Last updated November 11, 2026.
