In this article
Since late August 2026 you can advertise in ChatGPT across Europe. OpenAI opened ads in 31 European countries, and since 31 August advertisers in the Netherlands and most of those markets can create campaigns themselves in Ads Manager. The platform is still in beta.
The short answer to whether you should get in: if you already advertise profitably on Google and sell something people compare before they buy, a three-month test makes sense. If you don't advertise anywhere yet, start with Google. This article explains why, and how it works.
What is ChatGPT Ads?
ChatGPT Ads are ads that appear below a ChatGPT answer. Someone asks which mattress suits back pain, gets an answer, and sees a sponsored ad from a mattress store underneath.
An ad consists of your brand name, logo, a title, a short description, an image and a landing page. Online stores can also generate ads from a product feed, with product photo, price and rating.
Important to know: an ad does not change the answer. According to OpenAI, the ad system runs separately from the language model and advertisers have no influence over what ChatGPT answers. If you want to be mentioned in the answer itself, that is organic visibility. That's what our article on getting found in ChatGPT covers.
Who sees the ads?
Not every ChatGPT user sees ads. These are the rules right now:
| Who | Sees ads? |
|---|---|
| ChatGPT Free and Go | Yes |
| ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu | No |
| Users under 18 | No |
| Temporary chats | No |
| Conversations about personal health, mental health or politics | No |
In Europe, personalised ads are not available yet. ChatGPT then picks an ad based on the current conversation, not on earlier chats or memory. OpenAI also advises against custom audiences in the EU while personalisation is off.
How it works: context hints instead of keywords
This is the biggest difference from Google Ads. You don't buy keywords. Per ad group you provide context hints: the topics and conversations your product fits. According to OpenAI these are hints, not exact-match keywords, and they don't guarantee you appear in a given conversation.
Which ad wins is decided by an auction on relevance and bid. The system looks at the conversation, your title and copy, your landing page and your context hints. A high bid on a poorly matching ad loses to a lower bid that fits exactly.
The practical consequence: copying your Google keywords one to one doesn't work. You think in questions and situations ("mattress for back pain", "pocket springs versus cold foam"), not in keyword variants.
What does advertising in ChatGPT cost?
You pay per impression or per click, never per sale. There are three campaign objectives:
| Objective | You pay | Suited for |
|---|---|---|
| Views | Per 1,000 impressions (CPM) | Brand awareness |
| Clicks | Per click (CPC) | Traffic to your site |
| Conversions | Per click (oCPC) or per 1,000 impressions (oCPM), while the system optimises for conversions | Sales or leads, once your measurement is in place |
The numbers that matter now:
- At least €15 per day per campaign (OpenAI). A one-campaign test therefore costs at least roughly €450 per month.
- Starting bid per click: OpenAI recommends starting with a maximum of 3 to 5 dollars per click.
- The daily budget is a weekly average. Spend on a single day can reach twice your daily budget, but never more than seven times it over a week.
Put that starting bid next to your own Google Ads click prices: for many online stores ChatGPT is not cheaper per click. The question is whether that click converts better, because the person has already had a whole conversation about their choice.
Product feeds: the opportunity for online stores
For online stores this is the most interesting part. In Ads Manager you upload a product feed, similar to your Google Shopping feed, and create ads from your catalogue. You group products with filters and custom labels, and set one template per group.
According to OpenAI, ads built from product feeds are among the best performers on the platform. Two things to watch:
- Products expire after two weeks. Deliver the feed through a stable URL or automated upload, not as a one-off file.
- Feed campaigns target countries only, not regions or postcodes.
If your Shopping feed is already in order, this is quick. If your feed is messy, fix that first. It hurts you on Google just as much.
Measuring: pixel and Conversions API
Ads Manager shows impressions, clicks, spend, click-through rate, cost per click and conversions. You only see those conversions once measurement is set up:
- The OpenAI pixel on your site, which can also be deployed through Google Tag Manager.
- The Conversions API for conversions from your server, so sales still come through with cookie refusal and ad blockers.
You choose the attribution window: 7, 14 or 30 days after a click, and optionally 1 day after an impression. Conversions take 24 to 48 hours to show up in reporting.
Expect differences with Google Analytics. Ads Manager counts clicks, GA4 counts sessions; consent, redirects and ad blockers sit in between. Always add UTM parameters to your ads so you can see the channel separately in GA4. Without that measurement you can't say anything about returns after three months.
ChatGPT Ads or Google Ads?
It isn't either-or. ChatGPT Ads is an addition for now, not a replacement.
| Google Ads | ChatGPT Ads | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Search results, Shopping, YouTube, display | Below a ChatGPT answer |
| Moment | Someone searches a term | Someone compares and asks follow-up questions |
| Targeting | Keywords, audiences, location | Context hints, country and region; no personalisation in the EU |
| Online store | Shopping and Performance Max | Product feed campaigns |
| Bidding | Many smart bidding strategies | CPM, CPC or optimising for conversions |
| Maturity | Twenty years of data and tooling | Beta, live in Europe since August 2026 |
Who should test it now?
A test makes sense when you have three things:
- A Google account that's already profitable. That gives you a benchmark: does a sale through ChatGPT cost more or less than through Google?
- A product people compare. Mattresses, bikes, software, renovations: anything where someone asks questions before they buy. A ten-euro impulse buy fits less well.
- Room for roughly €450 to €600 a month in media budget, for three months, plus measurement you can trust.
It doesn't make sense (yet) if you don't advertise anywhere, if your measurement isn't in order, or if your goal is to appear in the answer itself.
How to start
- Create an account at ads.openai.com and complete verification and billing. New accounts can only advertise in their home country at first.
- Install the pixel and the Conversions API, and test that a sale or lead comes through.
- Start with one campaign on your best-selling product group or service, with a few ad groups per theme.
- Write context hints as questions and situations, not as keywords.
- Let it run for three months and compare cost per sale with Google, in the same dashboard.
Frequently asked questions
Can I advertise in ChatGPT in Europe? Yes. Since late August 2026 ads appear in 31 European countries, and since 31 August you can create campaigns yourself in OpenAI Ads Manager in most of them. The platform is still in beta.
What does an ad in ChatGPT cost? You pay per click or per 1,000 impressions, with a minimum of €15 per day per campaign. OpenAI recommends a starting bid of 3 to 5 dollars per click.
Do ads influence ChatGPT's answer? No. Ads sit below the answer, are labelled as sponsored and, according to OpenAI, run on a separate system that doesn't influence the answer.
Can I buy keywords in ChatGPT Ads? No. You provide context hints: topics and situations your product fits. ChatGPT decides which conversation is relevant.
Who sees the ads? ChatGPT Free and Go users aged 18 and over. Paid plans such as Plus, Pro and Business are ad-free.
Wondering whether ChatGPT Ads fits your store? Book an intro call: we'll look at your Google account and your products, and tell you honestly whether a test makes sense now.