Last week OpenAI started letting businesses claim a profile inside ChatGPT. So that’s one more place you’re supposed to be listed, on top of Google, Apple, Bing, Facebook, and whichever directories have gotten hold of your email address.
Here’s the good news. You don’t need to be everywhere. You need a handful of places, saying the same thing in each one, kept current. That’s most of the job.
Back in February I wrote about the basics of local SEO, including how to claim your Google Business Profile. Think of this one as the companion piece. Not how to set a listing up, but which listings are actually worth your time, in order. One of them didn’t exist a week ago.
Google’s still first by a mile
Nothing’s knocked Google off the top. In a 2026 study of recent local business searches, BrightLocal found that 75% of people used more than one channel in a single search, and Google was far and away where they started. If yours isn’t claimed and filled out yet, go and do that one first.
One change is worth knowing about. Google shut down the old Questions and Answers feature in late 2025, so there’s no list of customer questions to watch anymore. Instead it builds answers about your business out of your profile, your reviews, and your website. Those three are your answer sheet now. If your website doesn’t say you do emergency calls, don’t be surprised when nothing tells people you do.
Your business inside ChatGPT is brand new
And I mean brand new. On November 10th, OpenAI opened up a Business Hub that lets you claim your own business profile inside ChatGPT. It’s free to claim, and they’re pitching it as a way to reach the 1.2 billion people using ChatGPT every week.
Why I’d put this second instead of tenth: people are already searching this way. In that same study, 23% used an AI tool somewhere while looking for a local business. Close to one in four, and near zero not that long ago.
Claiming it works about how you’d expect. You confirm you’re authorized to represent the business, then verify by text or a call to your main number, or through your domain settings. Eligibility depends on your industry and location, so some businesses will land on a waitlist for now. There’s also an option to publish an “agent” that answers questions for you, but that part’s limited to online and ecommerce businesses right now, so most local service businesses can skip it.
Don’t expect a flood of new customers next week. Claim it so the information is yours and it’s right.
Apple and Bing take about fifteen minutes
Apple Business Connect is free, and it really does take about fifteen minutes. If your customers carry iPhones, and plenty do, Apple Maps is what opens when they tap an address. Bing Places is the same quick errand, and it feeds Microsoft Copilot the way your Google profile feeds Google. Neither one’s exciting. Both are worth doing once and forgetting about.
Facebook, and the directories actually worth your time
Keep your Facebook page accurate even if you never post there, because people really do look up hours on it. It’s a listing, though, not a replacement for a website, which is its own whole conversation.
For directories, be picky. Your chamber of commerce, your county tourism site, a trade association you already belong to. Those carry real local credibility. The one emailing you twice a week doesn’t.
The boring part that makes all of it work
Your name, address, phone number, and hours have to match exactly everywhere. Not “Street” in one spot and “St.” in another. When something’s building an answer about you out of six sources, little conflicts are how you end up invisible, or listed with a number you gave up years ago. (And if you’ve changed your name or logo recently, this is the cleanup nobody warns you about.)
Your website is what they’re all reading
Every one of these platforms, the AI ones especially, goes and checks your site to confirm what you’ve told them. If your site’s thin, or vague about what you do and where, the listings have nothing to point at. A clear site that spells out your services, your service area, and how to reach you is quietly working for you in all of these places at once. That’s a lot of what good web design and local SEO are really for.
If you want a hand figuring out which listings you actually need and getting them all to match, I’d love to help.
Business listings FAQ
Do I have to pay to get my business listed?
Not for any of the ones in this post. Google, ChatGPT, Apple, and Bing are all free to claim. If a directory wants money up front, you can almost always skip it.
What about Yelp?
Worth claiming if you’re in food, retail, or home services, since people still search there in those categories. For most other local businesses it’s a lower priority than everything above.
How often should I check my listings?
Twice a year is plenty for most businesses, plus any time your hours, phone number, or address change. Put a reminder on your calendar and you’ll never think about it otherwise.
