Short answer: you can pay to appear next to ChatGPT's answers, but not inside them. Since August 2026, ChatGPT has shown ads to some users in the UK. OpenAI says those ads are kept separate from the answer itself, and that no advertiser can pay to be recommended.

What ChatGPT ads are

OpenAI started testing ads in the United States in February 2026. Its announcement, Testing ads in ChatGPT, was updated on 11 August 2026 to say ads had launched in the United Kingdom, along with Mexico, Brazil, Japan and South Korea.

According to OpenAI's help page on ads in ChatGPT:

  • Ads may appear below a ChatGPT response, clearly labelled and shown separately from it.
  • They only appear for people on the Free and Go plans. Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu accounts don't see ads.
  • The ad system picks an ad based on the conversation's topic, the ad's own copy and landing page, and hints the advertiser gives about where it is relevant.

So yes, a business can pay to show up when someone is chatting about something related. It is closer to a search ad than a recommendation.

What money can't buy

OpenAI is direct about this. On the same help page it answers the question "Do ads influence the answers ChatGPT gives me?" with a plain no. It says ads run on separate systems from the chat model, and advertisers have no ability to shape, rank or alter ChatGPT's responses. It also says seeing an ad doesn't mean OpenAI endorses or recommends the advertiser.

So if someone asks "Who is a good accountant for contractors in Manchester?", ChatGPT names the firms it can find and describe from the web. A labelled ad underneath might show a different firm that paid to be there.

Be careful with anyone selling a "ChatGPT listing"

If an agency or directory offers a paid spot inside ChatGPT's answers, ask exactly what it means. Based on what OpenAI has published, the only paid route is a labelled ad through OpenAI's own ads platform.

Our post on questions to ask before you pay for GEO covers how to test these claims before you spend anything.

How practices actually get named

When ChatGPT searches the web, OpenAI's ChatGPT search help page explains that it rewrites the question for its search partners, can use an approximate location, and ranks results on several factors. Your website also needs to let OpenAI's search crawler, OAI-SearchBot, read it.

That puts the work back on the basics most practices can control:

  • A clear website. Separate pages for each service and each town you cover, written in the words clients use.
  • A complete Google Business Profile. Correct categories, services, hours and regular reviews. Google lists reviews and links among the things that affect local prominence.
  • Consistent details elsewhere. Your name, address and phone number should match across your site, professional body directories and listing sites.
  • Content that answers real questions. If clients ask about Making Tax Digital or landlord accounts, a plain answer on your site gives an assistant something to quote.

None of this needs an ad budget. If you want to see why rival firms are being named instead of you, our post on why ChatGPT recommends your competitors walks through it.

Should a practice advertise in ChatGPT at all?

It is early days. Ads may suit a firm that already runs search ads and wants to test a new channel, but an ad won't change what ChatGPT says when a prospect asks for a recommendation.

Start by finding out where you stand. Ask ChatGPT the questions a new client would ask and note which firms come up. Our guide on how to check what ChatGPT says about your firm shows a simple way to do it.

See what AI says about you, for free

Our free AI visibility checker asks Gemini about your firm and town and emails you the answer with a short scorecard. If the result isn't what you hoped, our SEO service works on the foundations that help assistants find and describe your practice. Get in touch and we will talk it through in plain English.

Common questions

Can I pay OpenAI to be recommended in ChatGPT?

No. OpenAI says advertisers can't shape, rank or alter ChatGPT's answers. Paying buys a labelled ad shown separately from the answer, not a recommendation.

Do ChatGPT ads show in the UK?

Yes. OpenAI says ads launched in the UK in August 2026. They appear for users on the Free and Go plans only.