OpenAI has begun testing ads in ChatGPT and has introduced new ways for advertisers to buy and manage campaigns, including a beta self-serve Ads Manager. While this is still in the early stages and currently limited in availability, it marks a clear shift in how businesses may reach people inside AI-led search and discovery environments.

For business owners and marketing teams, the important point is not that every brand needs to start advertising on ChatGPT immediately. Many will not be able to access it yet, and for some it may not be the right channel today.

The bigger point is what this signals.

AI platforms are no longer just tools people use to ask questions, they are becoming spaces where people research, compare, evaluate and make decisions. That has major implications for how businesses build visibility, authority and trust online.

What Is Actually Happening?

Until recently, advertising inside ChatGPT was not something most businesses could access. Early activity was limited, tightly controlled and not available in the same way as established ad platforms such as Google Ads, Meta Ads or LinkedIn Ads.

OpenAI has now started building advertising infrastructure more deliberately. This includes options for advertisers to create campaigns through partners, as well as a beta self-serve Ads Manager. The platform is also introducing cost-per-click bidding and measurement tools to help advertisers understand how campaigns perform.

In simple terms, ChatGPT advertising is moving from a closed testing environment toward a more structured advertising ecosystem.

It is still early days, access remains limited, and the formats, controls and commercial model are likely to evolve. But the direction is clear and advertising is becoming part of the AI search and answer experience.

Why ChatGPT Advertising Is Different From Traditional Online Advertising

Most digital advertising is built around interruption.

A banner appears while someone is reading an article, a video plays before the content they wanted to watch, or a sponsored post appears in a social feed while they are catching up with friends or colleagues.

In those situations, the person was not necessarily looking for a product, service or solution. The advert is placed in front of them while they are doing something else.

ChatGPT works differently.

People use ChatGPT when they have a question, a problem to solve, a decision to make or something they want to understand. They may be comparing software, researching professional services, looking for a clinic, trying to understand a financial product or asking which option is right for their situation.

That is a very different mindset.

When someone asks an AI tool for guidance, they are often much closer to a decision-making moment than they would be while scrolling through a feed. For businesses, that creates a potentially valuable opportunity to appear in a context where intent is already present.

This is what makes AI advertising so important. It is not simply another paid media placement, it sits much closer to the moment where people are asking for answers.

Why This Matters for SEO and Organic Visibility Too

It would be a mistake to see ChatGPT ads as only a paid media issue.

The growth of advertising inside AI platforms also tells us something much bigger about how online visibility is changing.

People are no longer only searching through traditional search engines. They are using AI tools to summarise information, compare providers, explain complex topics and recommend next steps. That means brands need to think beyond rankings alone.

The question is no longer only: “Do we appear on page one of Google?”
It is also: “Are we visible, trusted and understood across the sources AI tools use to form answers?”

That is where SEO, digital PR, content and brand authority all connect.

If AI systems are helping users make decisions, then businesses need a strong and consistent online footprint. They need credible content, third-party validation, authority signals from reputable sources, and their expertise to be visible beyond their own website.

Paid advertising may give businesses another way to appear inside AI platforms, but organic authority will still matter, and in many cases, it may matter even more.

What About Measuring Results?

One of the biggest questions around any new advertising channel is accountability.
How do you know if it is working?

OpenAI has introduced measurement tools designed to help advertisers understand whether users take action after seeing an ad. That may include website visits, enquiries, purchases or other conversion-based outcomes, depending on the campaign setup.

This is important because it moves ChatGPT advertising away from simple visibility metrics and closer to performance measurement.

For businesses, the value of AI advertising will not just be whether an ad was shown but whether that visibility influenced a real action.

At the same time, privacy is a major part of how this develops. OpenAI has said that advertisers do not receive access to individual conversations or personal details. Instead, campaign performance is reported in aggregate.

That distinction matters, AI tools are highly personal environments. People often ask detailed, specific and sensitive questions. For advertising to work in these spaces, platforms will need to balance commercial opportunity with user trust.

What This Means for Regulated Sectors

For industries such as finance and healthcare, this shift is especially important.

These are sectors where decisions carry more weight. People are not just looking for the cheapest or quickest option but for expertise, credibility, reassurance and evidence that they can trust the provider in front of them.

That changes how businesses should think about AI visibility.

In financial services, someone may ask ChatGPT about mortgage options, pension advice, accountancy support or financial planning.
In healthcare, they may ask about treatments, symptoms, clinics, specialists or patient pathways.

These are high-trust searches and they require accuracy, authority and careful positioning.

For businesses in regulated sectors, visibility inside AI platforms cannot be treated as a simple advertising opportunity. It must be supported by a wider trust-building strategy.

That includes:

• Clear, accurate and helpful website content
• Strong evidence of expertise
• Consistent brand positioning
• High-quality digital PR and media presence
• Reviews, reputation and third-party validation
• A search strategy that reflects how people actually research important decisions

In other words, paid visibility may help you appear, but authority helps you deserve to be considered.

What Businesses Should Do Now

Most businesses do not need to rush into ChatGPT advertising today. The platform is still developing, and access is not yet universal.

However, businesses should start preparing for a world where AI platforms play a bigger role in discovery, comparison and decision-making.

The first step is not necessarily launching an ad campaign, but understanding how your business currently appears across the online ecosystem.

Ask yourself:

• Is your brand clearly associated with the services you want to be known for?
• Do trusted sources mention, reference or validate your expertise?
• Does your website answer the questions your customers are actually asking?
• Are you visible beyond your own channels?
• Would an AI platform have enough credible information to understand who you are, what you do and why you should be recommended?

These are not just AI questions, they are modern visibility questions.

The businesses that answer them well will be better positioned whether they choose to advertise in ChatGPT or not.

The Bigger Picture

ChatGPT advertising is not just a new ad format, it’s another sign that search, discovery and decision-making are changing.

Traditional search engines gave people lists of links, AI tools give people answers, summaries and recommendations.

That shift changes what businesses need to optimise for.

It is no longer enough to focus only on rankings, clicks or keyword positions. Brands need to build the kind of authority that makes them visible across multiple discovery environments, from Google Search to AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and other answer-led platforms.

This is where SEO and digital PR become even more connected.

• SEO helps ensure your website can be found, understood and trusted.
• Digital PR helps build the external validation that strengthens authority.
• Content helps answer the questions your audience is asking.
• Reputation signals help reinforce trust.
• Paid media may create additional visibility at the point of intent.

The strongest strategies will not treat these as separate channels but will bring them together.

What to Take From This

ChatGPT running ads does not mean every business needs to change its marketing strategy overnight, but it does mean businesses need to pay attention.

AI platforms are becoming part of the customer journey. People are using them to research, compare and make decisions. Advertising will become one part of that landscape, but the businesses that perform best will be those with strong foundations already in place.

That means building authority before you need it, strengthening visibility before competitors catch up, creating content that answers real questions, earning trust across credible third-party sources, making sure your brand is understood by both people and the platforms helping them make decisions.

The future of visibility will not be built on one tactic. It will be built on authority, relevance, trust and presence across the places where decisions are now being made.

At Woya Digital, this is exactly where our focus sits in helping businesses build the credibility, visibility and authority needed to be found, trusted and chosen in an increasingly AI-driven search landscape.

Google rolls out multiple core and spam updates each year to refine search quality, enhance spam detection, and improve overall user experience.

Below is a recap of the recent major Google algorithm updates, outlining their purpose and impact on search rankings and website performance.

Our strength at Woya Digital lies in the people behind the performance, and this month we’re shining the spotlight on Kaylin, our Paid Media Executive. With a sharp analytical mind, a genuine love for data, and an ever-evolving approach to PPC, Kaylin plays a key role in driving measurable growth for our clients. Always curious, always testing, and never afraid to challenge the status quo, Kaylin brings energy, precision and a results-first mindset to every campaign.

1. What’s one digital marketing trend or tool you’re excited about?

I’m really excited about the rise of AI-powered content optimisation tools. They’re making it faster and easier to understand intent, spot content gaps, and fine tune pages for both users and search engines. It feels like having a smart assistant that helps push ideas over the finish line.

2. What’s the most exciting part of your role at Woya Digital and why does it get you fired up?

The most exciting part of my role as a Google Ads Guy is the constant challenge of making campaigns perform better. I love digging into data, analysing patterns, and making strategic tweaks that can completely transform results. There’s a real thrill in seeing how small optimisations like refining targeting or improving ad copy can drive bigger wins for clients. PPC is fast-paced, always evolving, and when a campaign hits that sweet spot of efficiency and performance, it genuinely fires me up.

3. If you had to explain SEO to your family in one sentence, what would you say?

SEO is helping Google understand what your website is about so it can show it to the right people at the right time.

4. What’s one digital trend you think every business should be paying attention to right now?

First party data and personalisation. With privacy changes and the decline of third party cookies, businesses that understand their own audience deeply and use that insight responsibly will win in the long run.

5. What’s a typical day like for you and what’s never typical about it?

A typical day starts with checking in on my Google Ads campaigns for the various clients we have, looking at what performed well overnight, what needs tweaking, and where I can squeeze out even better results. From there it’s a mix of optimising keywords, testing new ad ideas, reviewing performance trends, and planning strategies that keep clients ahead of the curve.

What’s never typical is the pace of PPC itself anything from a sudden performance spike to a platform update can flip your priorities for the day. And of course, working from home adds its own flavour: I might be deep in bid strategies one minute and negotiating with my pets for space the next. No two days ever really look the same, and that keeps things interesting.

6. If Woya had a team playlist, what song would you add and why?

The Downfall of Us All – A Day to Remember

The opening chant literally feels like a team hype-up anthem. It’s energetic, unifying, and gets everyone pumped. It has that “we’re in this together” feel that suits Woya’s collaborative environment.

7. What is it really like working at Woya Digital?

Working at Woya doesn’t really feel like work when everyone has their hands on deck. It’s collaborative in the best way. You’re free to speak up, question things, and say no when something doesn’t make sense. We’re a team of like-minded people who genuinely enjoy what we do, and we have leadership that encourages creativity, understanding, and a good laugh along the way. It’s a place where you can be yourself and still deliver great work.

Woya Digital digital marketing and finance SEO specialist, has reported a series of remarkable outcomes, with measurable results that highlight the value that focused, customised expertise brings to clients in the financial services sector.

Read the full article as published in Benzinga.