The 10-Second Version (AI Summary)
What happened: OpenAI launched a Business Hub where companies can claim and verify their profiles in ChatGPT.
Why it matters: More shoppers are starting their research in AI tools, and a verified profile lets you control what ChatGPT says about your store.
What to do: Claim your dealership's profile now, and make sure your details match everywhere else online.
AI-generated and reviewed by the ASOTU team.
What's the homework?
Claim your business. That was Paul's call to action on today's Automotive State of the Union, and our creative team has already told its dealer clients the same thing.
"The early adopters are going to win on this."
Paul J. Daly
One caution. OpenAI says a claimed profile doesn't guarantee more visibility. Its value is accuracy and control: making ChatGPT's picture of your store correct and verified, which earns more trust than an unverified one.
OpenAI launched a Business Hub inside ChatGPT on Nov. 10.
The beta lets companies verify and update information about their products and services, much like a Google Business Profile.
Business agents: eligible companies can launch an agent that answers questions about the business. For now, that's limited to U.S. e-commerce and online service businesses, so most dealerships will start with the profile.
Insights: profile views, mentions, website clicks, and other engagement measures.
Background: the rollout follows OpenAI's in-chat checkout, which it retired in March.
How do you claim your dealership's profile?
Open Business Hub at chatgpt.com/business-hub and search for your store.
Verify through one of the offered methods. Kyle walked through these on the show: a business phone, business email, or a DNS record on your domain.
Complete an identity check, which can include a government ID and business registration details.
Get whoever controls your website's domain involved early.
Does an AI answer still count as Google?
One of our team members still searches Google first. These days the answer usually shows up in the AI summary at the top, before he scrolls to a single link. So is that still Google?
For shoppers, the distinction is fading. Whether it's Google's summary or ChatGPT's answer, an AI is increasingly the first thing that describes your dealership. Make sure every place it learns from, including your website, your Google profile, and now your ChatGPT profile, tells the same accurate story.
