People now ask ChatGPT where to eat tonight, where to take the kids on Saturday, and who to call when the AC quits. If your business is not in that answer, you never get a chance to compete.

On November 10, 2026, OpenAI opened a new door. With a tool called Business Hub, owners can now claim their business in ChatGPT, update key details, and see how often they show up.

Claiming is a smart first move. But it is only one piece of the AI visibility puzzle.

Your buyers are not only asking ChatGPT. They also ask Gemini, Perplexity, the AI Overviews at the top of Google and other AI tools. Each one builds answers from its own mix of sources. So being found takes more than one claimed profile.

What buyers are asking AI tools

Here are the kinds of questions your next customers type or say out loud:

• “Best family entertainment near me”
• “Top rated steakhouse in Frisco”
• “What is the best indoor golf simulator near me?”
• “Who is the best plumber near me?”
• “Who is the best foundation repair company near me?”
• “Which AC repair company can come out today?”

If your locations are missing from those answers, a competitor gets the visit. This guide starts with ChatGPT, since Business Hub is brand new. Many of the basics in Part 2, like accurate listings, a clear website and real reviews, help you across the other AI tools too.

What changed in ChatGPT this week

Here is what OpenAI’s Business Hub help article says, in plain terms:

• You can claim and manage a profile. Eligible businesses can verify ownership, then update details like website, description, category and logo.
• You get basic insights. You can see mentions and website clicks for the past 28 days. For a local business, a mention counts when ChatGPT shows a result for that location.
• You do not see customer chats. OpenAI shares only grouped data, never individual prompts.
• Claiming does not buy placement. OpenAI says claiming does not guarantee more visibility, and ads do not influence its independent answers.

Part 1: How to claim your business in ChatGPT

Step 1: Choose who owns the account

Use a ChatGPT account tied to the business and a company email, owned by someone who will be around for years.

If you work with an agency, add them as a teammate. Do not hand them ownership. OpenAI lets the admin who claimed the business add teammates and grant an agency access. That way you keep the keys.

Step 2: Find your listing

Sign in to ChatGPT and open Business Hub from the sidebar. Search for your business by name. Pick the listing that matches your real name and address.

One catch for local brands. Right now, local stores and restaurants can claim only an existing U.S. listing. If you cannot find yours, that tells you something. The sources ChatGPT reads (Part 2) need work.

Step 3: Verify your claim

OpenAI offers a few ways to prove the business is yours:

• Business phone. A code by text or automated call. Only use this if the listed number rings to you, not a call center.
• Business email. A code sent to the email tied to the business.
• Website domain. You add a TXT record to your domain’s DNS. If IT or your web host manages your domain, send them the record exactly as shown.
• Shopify. Connect your store if you sell on Shopify.

Step 4: Complete the identity check

After approval, you need to verify your identity with Persona, a third party service. Until you do, you cannot publish changes or view insights. You may need a government ID, business registration details and proof that you can represent the business.

Decide up front who on your team will be the verified person. Make sure the name and address you submit match your official records. The blue check appears on your profile after this step is approved.

Step 5: Fill out the profile

Add your website, a clear description, your category, logo and a cover photo. Write the description in plain words: what you do, who you serve and where. OpenAI reviews changes, so updates can take time to show up.

Part 2: How to get found in ChatGPT answers

Claiming helps you fix your own facts. Getting recommended depends on what the rest of the web says about you. These are the sources that matter most today.

Let OpenAI’s search crawler in

OpenAI runs separate crawlers for separate jobs. OAI-SearchBot finds pages for ChatGPT search. GPTBot collects content that may be used to train OpenAI’s models. They are controlled on their own.

If you block OAI-SearchBot, OpenAI says your site will not appear in ChatGPT search answers. Check your robots.txt file for this:

Also make sure your firewall or CDN is not blocking OpenAI’s published IP addresses. Changes can take about 24 hours to take effect. Blocking GPTBot is a separate choice and does not remove you from search answers.

Get your Yelp listing right

In July 2026, Yelp agreed to license its reviews, photos and business details to OpenAI for use in ChatGPT answers. That makes Yelp one of the most direct ways to shape what ChatGPT says about a local business.

Claim your free Yelp page. Check your hours, categories, photos and service area. Respond to reviews, good and bad, with grace.

Restaurants: check your reservation partners

ChatGPT can now show open tables and help guests book. It pulls times from OpenTable (worldwide), Resy (U.S.) and Yelp (U.S. and Canada). A Reserve button only appears when one of those partners has data for your restaurant. If you take reservations, make sure at least one of them is set up and accurate.

Keep Google Business Profile and Bing Places current

ChatGPT search uses outside search partners, including Bing. That said, testing by Search Engine Land found ChatGPT reads Bing’s web results but not the profile details businesses enter in Bing Places. So treat Bing Places as cheap insurance, not a magic switch.

Google Business Profile is still your main listing on Google Search and Maps. Keep it complete. Your hours, categories and photos should match everywhere else.

Claim Apple Business Connect

Apple Business Connect controls how you appear in Apple Maps and Siri. It is not a confirmed ChatGPT source. Claim it anyway to keep your facts consistent.

Make your website easy to read

Your site is the one source you fully control. Make it simple for people and crawlers:

• Show your name, address, phone and hours in plain text, not only in images.
• Add LocalBusiness structured data (schema) to each location page.
• Answer common questions on the page: price ranges, parking, booking, service area.
• Use clear service names, the words your customers actually type.

Earn real reviews and mentions

AI answers lean on what other people say. Ask happy customers for reviews on the platforms that matter in your category. Get listed with your chamber of commerce, local news and trusted “best of” lists. Never buy reviews.

Part 3: A playbook for franchise brands and brands with many locations

This is where most brands will stumble. OpenAI’s help center is clear: each brand is managed separately, central management across a parent company’s locations is not available yet, and claiming the main brand does not claim its locations. Some larger brands use a managed claim process through an OpenAI account contact.

Build one location roster

Start a single spreadsheet. List every location’s official name, address, phone, hours, page URL and listing owner. Note who controls each listing today, corporate or the franchisee. Then decide who claims each location in ChatGPT, and who gets added as a teammate.

Keep listings consistent everywhere

Use the same name format, address and phone for each location on every platform. That means Google, Bing Places, Apple Business Connect, Yelp, Facebook and your reservation or booking tools. Small mismatches add up. “Main Street Grill Plano” on one site and “Main St. Grill of Plano TX” on another makes it harder for any system to know they are the same place.

Give every location its own page

Each location needs a real page, not a copy with the city name swapped. Include:

• Name, address, phone and hours
• A map and local photos
• The services, menu or amenities offered at that spot
• LocalBusiness schema (or a fitting type like Restaurant)
• A link from a main locations directory

Run reviews by location

Give each location its own review goal, a named responder and a response time. A strong brand average can hide one weak location, and AI answers are often local.

Monitor AI answers town by town

ChatGPT may use a person’s approximate location to tailor local results. So the answer in one suburb can differ from the next. Build a short list of prompts for each market, like “best family entertainment in [town]” or “emergency plumber near [town].” Run them monthly in ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity, not just one tool. Use a personal ChatGPT account, since some features, like reservations, do not appear on Business plans.

Log which locations show up in each tool, what details are wrong and which sources get cited. Once locations are claimed, compare that log with the mentions and clicks in Business Hub.

Quick checklist

• Claim your profile in Business Hub with a company owned account
• Complete the Persona identity check
• Allow OAI-SearchBot in robots.txt and your firewall
• Claim and clean up Yelp, Google Business Profile, Bing Places and Apple Business Connect
• Restaurants: confirm OpenTable, Resy or Yelp reservations
• Add a strong page with schema for every location
• Track answers in ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity by town every month

Get a free AI visibility check from Digitac Media

If you never measure it, you cannot improve it.

Not sure how your locations show up in AI answers today? Digitac Media will run a free AI visibility check across the major AI tools, including ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews. We will look at how your brand and key locations appear, which sources each tool pulls from, and what to fix first.

Book a free 30 minute AI visibility call with Digitac Media

FAQ

Is it free to claim my business in ChatGPT?

OpenAI says you do not need an ads account or an enterprise agreement to claim an eligible business. VentureBeat reported that claiming was free at launch, and that OpenAI left the door open to charging later.

Will claiming my business make ChatGPT recommend it more?

Not on its own. OpenAI says claiming lets you manage your information but does not guarantee more visibility. Recommendations still depend on your listings, reviews, website and what other sites say about you. And ChatGPT is only one of the AI tools your buyers use, so check Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews too.

Where does ChatGPT get local business information?

From several places. It searches the web with partners that include Bing. It licenses Yelp reviews, photos and business details. For restaurant bookings it uses OpenTable, Resy and Yelp. It reads websites through OAI-SearchBot. Now it can also use details owners add in Business Hub.

Should I block GPTBot in robots.txt?

That is a separate choice. GPTBot gathers content that may be used to train OpenAI’s models. OAI-SearchBot is the crawler for ChatGPT search. You can block GPTBot and still allow OAI-SearchBot, so you stay eligible for search answers.

I have many locations. Does claiming the brand cover all of them?

No. OpenAI says claiming the main brand does not claim its locations, and central management across locations is not available yet. Plan to claim and verify each location, or ask your OpenAI account contact about a managed claim path.