For years, businesses have been able to claim their Google Business Profiles, update their information, and see how customers find them through search.
Now they can do something similar in ChatGPT.
On November 10, OpenAI introduced Businesses in ChatGPT, a new system that lets business owners claim their profiles, manage information about their products and services, and see how people discover them through ChatGPT.
And for Squarespace designers, this could be another service worth offering clients.
What can businesses actually do?
OpenAI's new Business Hub gives eligible businesses three capabilities.
1. Claim and manage their business information.
Business owners can verify that they represent a company and provide information about its website, services, products, and policies.
They can also add a logo, cover photo, and business description. Retailers can supply product feeds with current pricing and availability.
This doesn't give businesses complete control over what ChatGPT says about them. OpenAI can still use information from other sources.
2. See how people discover their business through ChatGPT.
This might be the most interesting part.
Business Hub includes analytics showing:
How often ChatGPT mentions or cites the business
How many people click through to its website
The common topics associated with those mentions
The reporting covers the previous 28 days.
For online businesses, a mention is counted when ChatGPT references the business's website, not simply when someone types its name.
The discovery topics could be particularly useful. A website designer might learn which subjects are causing ChatGPT to recommend or cite a client's website.
There are limitations. Businesses cannot see individual conversations or the exact questions people asked. OpenAI only provides aggregated information when there is enough activity to report.
3. Create a Business Agent.
OpenAI is also introducing Business Agents, which allow customers to have conversations with individual businesses inside ChatGPT.
For example, someone researching a product could ask the business questions about its features, policies, or suitability.
The business provides the information and guidelines the agent uses to answer.
These conversations are separate from ChatGPT's independent responses. And Business Agents are initially limited to eligible ecommerce and online service businesses in the United States.
How to claim a business in ChatGPT
The process starts at chatgpt.com/business-hub.
Sign in to ChatGPT, find Business Hub in the sidebar, and search for the business.
If an existing listing is available, select it and follow the verification instructions. Eligible online businesses may also have the option to create a new listing.
Depending on the business, verification methods can include a business email, phone number, Shopify account, or website domain.
For domain verification, OpenAI provides a DNS TXT record that must be added to the business's domain settings.
After the initial claim is approved, the business must complete identity verification through Persona before it can update information or access analytics.
OpenAI says eligible businesses can claim profiles without a ChatGPT Enterprise subscription or advertising account.
Eligibility varies by location and business type. In particular, local stores and restaurants can currently claim only existing U.S. listings.
What does this mean for Squarespace designers?
Think about everything a designer already does when launching a client's website.
They might help the client connect a custom domain, set up Google Search Console, configure analytics, and create a Google Business Profile.
ChatGPT Business Hub could become another item on that list.
The designer could help the client claim their profile, complete domain verification, review their business information, and make sure it's consistent with their website.
And because OpenAI allows business owners to grant agencies access, that relationship doesn't necessarily have to end when the website launches.
A designer could periodically review the client's ChatGPT insights and identify opportunities to improve the information available on their website.
That doesn't mean every Squarespace designer needs to become an AI search consultant.
But helping clients get their basic business information established and verified is a fairly natural extension of work many designers already do.
Will claiming a profile help a business appear more often in ChatGPT?
That's the obvious question.
And the answer, at least for now, is that there's no guarantee.
OpenAI explicitly states that claiming a business doesn't guarantee higher placement, more recommendations, or additional sales.
ChatGPT continues to make its own recommendations, and businesses don't get to dictate those answers simply because they've registered.
The same applies to product feeds and Business Agents. Providing information makes it available to ChatGPT, but doesn't guarantee a recommendation.
So I'd be cautious about anyone promising clients more ChatGPT visibility just because they can set up a business profile.
The more immediate benefit is the ability to manage information and see some of the ways people are already discovering the business.
Another part of the website designer's job?
What's interesting to me isn't just the new feature.
It's what happens when another platform becomes a place where potential customers discover and evaluate businesses.
Business owners still need accurate information, working websites, clear descriptions of what they sell, and someone who understands how all those pieces fit together.
Google created one set of responsibilities for website owners. Social platforms created others.
Now ChatGPT is beginning to create its own.
Whether this becomes a meaningful source of client work remains to be seen.
But if you're building websites for businesses, it's probably worth understanding how Business Hub works before your clients start asking about it.
Sources: OpenAI's announcement · Business setup and verification guide
