- OpenAI’s Ads Manager lists Oman as available for self-serve. UAE and Saudi Arabia were added in mid-September 2026.
- Ads are sponsored cards below ChatGPT’s answer: a headline, a short description, a square image and a link.
- There are no keywords. You describe the conversations you want to appear in, and OpenAI matches them.
- Treat it as a small, measured test in 2026: costs are still settling and results vary widely by category.
A fast-moving topic. Availability, formats and prices for ChatGPT ads changed almost monthly in 2026. Figures here are from OpenAI’s help centre and industry reports as of 17 October 2026; check Ads Manager for the current terms before you spend.
For twenty years, the moment someone in Muscat asked “which clinic does teeth whitening near Al Khuwair?” happened in Google. Increasingly, it happens in ChatGPT. In 2026 OpenAI started selling ads in that moment, and since September, businesses in Oman can buy them themselves.
01What a ChatGPT ad is
Here are a few ideas: a bakhoor and oud gift set, a personalised photo book, or a spa voucher. For a personal touch, a framed family photo with an Arabic calligraphy caption…
An illustration of the format, not a real ad.
The answer is ChatGPT’s own; the ad sits underneath, labelled as sponsored. OpenAI says ads do not change what ChatGPT answers.3 Reported specifications for the card are a headline of up to 50 characters, a description of up to 100 characters, a square image and a link. There is no video or banner inventory, and you do not choose the placement.3
Context, not keywords
Instead of bidding on keywords, you write plain-language descriptions of the conversations you want to appear in, and OpenAI matches them to live chats.
Free and Go users only
Ads appear for people on ChatGPT’s Free and Go plans. Plus, Pro, Team, Business and Enterprise users do not see them.
02How it reached Oman
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| January 2026 | OpenAI publishes its advertising principles and begins testing ads in the US. |
| Spring 2026 | High managed-only minimums give way to self-serve buying in early markets. |
| August 2026 | Expansion to the UK, Europe, Japan, South Korea, Brazil and Mexico; self-serve opens to more regions. |
| 2 September 2026 | Oman reported among the first Arab markets opened for self-serve. |
| Mid-September 2026 | UAE and Saudi Arabia added to the availability list. |
Sources: OpenAI Ads Manager availability page and industry trackers.12
One practical detail: availability depends on where your business is registered, and new accounts may be limited to their home country until verification is complete. A company registered in Oman targeting Oman is the simplest case.
03Bidding and cost
Three ways to buy have been reported: reach (pay per thousand impressions), clicks (pay per click), and conversions for accounts with conversion tracking set up.3 Launch pricing in the US was premium, around $60 per thousand impressions with six-figure minimums. With self-serve, the account minimum dropped away and a daily budget floor applies instead, and reported prices in the open auction have fallen.
Read cost reports carefully. Most published figures are from US campaigns and from agencies selling ChatGPT ad services. Costs in Oman, with a smaller audience and fewer advertisers, may differ a lot. Budget for a learning test, not for scale.
04Who should test it
Considered purchases
Gifts, clinics, courses, travel, furniture, electronics: decisions where people ask for advice and compare options before buying.
Clear, answerable offers
A specific price, delivery promise or booking link fits under an answer. Vague brand messages do not.
Impulse and low-price products
People rarely ask ChatGPT about a 2-rial snack. Social and search ads usually work better.
No tracking yet
Without conversion tracking you cannot judge results. Fix measurement first: see tracking AI search traffic.
Remember the other half of AI visibility is free: being recommended in the answer itself. That depends on your website, reviews and product data. See when AI does the shopping and AI search visibility.
Write your first ChatGPT ad
Type a headline and description. The preview shows how the card could look under an answer, and checks it against the reported limits.
Runs in your browser; nothing is saved. Limits are as reported in 2026; Ads Manager shows the current specs. Example brand is fictional.
05Step-by-step: your first campaign
Here is the full setup in Ads Manager, step by step, using one example business throughout: Bait Al Oud, a fictional perfume and gift shop in Muscat that wants more online gift orders before the November season.
The screens below are simplified illustrations of each step, not screenshots of OpenAI’s interface. Menu names and layouts in Ads Manager change often, so look for the closest match. Steps are based on OpenAI’s help centre and published setup guides.45
Check you are ready
Before you open Ads Manager, make sure three things are in place:
- Eligibility. Your business is registered in a country listed as available (Oman is listed) and your category is allowed. Health, finance and legal offers face extra review; categories such as gambling, alcohol and tobacco are not allowed.
- A landing page that answers the question. One page for one offer, with the price, delivery and a clear button, fast on mobile.
- Time for verification. OpenAI says business verification can take up to seven business days.
Create your account
Go to ads.openai.com and sign in. Create an ad account, then complete:
- Business details: legal name, country and website, exactly as on your commercial registration.
- Billing: add a payment card. Your account currency and minimum daily budget are shown here.
- Verification: submit the documents requested and wait for approval.
Set up conversion tracking
Do this before your first campaign, or you will only see clicks. In Ads Manager, open Tools → Conversions, create a web data source (a pixel), then add an event for each action you care about.
- Install the pixel on every page, directly or through Google Tag Manager.
- Add events such as lead (a WhatsApp or form enquiry) and purchase (an order).
- Keep the ad’s click reference in the URL through any redirects, and add UTM tags so visits show clearly in GA4.
Create the campaign
Click Create. Choose what you are paying for and how you set the budget:
- Goal: reach (pay per thousand impressions), clicks (pay per click) or conversions (needs tracking from step 3).
- Budget: a daily budget, or a total budget for the campaign with start and end dates.
For a first test, choose clicks or conversions, and a fixed total budget you are comfortable treating as the cost of learning.
Describe the conversations
This is the step that is different from Google. There are no keywords. Instead you describe, in plain language, the conversations where your ad would genuinely help.
- Write them as real questions your customers ask.
- Be specific about place, price and occasion.
- Set the location to Oman and add the languages your customers use.
Write the ad
Each ad has a headline, a short description, a square image and a link. The preview shows how it sits under an answer.
- Headline (up to 50 characters): answer the question with a concrete detail.
- Description (up to 100 characters): the reason to click now: delivery, price, choice.
- Image: square, product clearly visible; non-square images are cropped automatically.
Launch, wait, then judge
Submit the campaign. It shows as pending while ads are reviewed. Once live:
- Days 1–3: check it is spending and clicks land on the right page. Change nothing else.
- Week 1: pause any ad with clicks but no engagement on the site.
- End of test: compare cost per lead or sale with Google Search and Meta for the same offer.
06Worked example: the full plan
Here is Bait Al Oud’s complete first campaign on one page, so you can copy the structure for your own business.
Three ads, three angles
| Channel | Spend | Orders | Cost per order | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT ads | OMR 220 | 23 | OMR 9.6 | Keep, test a second offer |
| Meta | OMR 400 | 36 | OMR 11.1 | Keep as the volume channel |
| Google Search | OMR 300 | 34 | OMR 8.8 | Keep, protect brand terms |
The point is not that ChatGPT “won”. It is that a small, tracked test gives you a real number to compare, instead of a guess. If the cost per order had been OMR 25, the right decision would have been to pause, fix the offer or landing page, and try again later.
Common questions
How do I set up my first ChatGPT ads campaign?
Create an account at ads.openai.com and complete billing and business verification, set up conversion tracking under Tools and Conversions, create a campaign with a goal and budget, describe the conversations you want to appear in, write a headline, description and square image, then launch and review results after two to four weeks.
Can businesses in Oman advertise on ChatGPT?
Yes. As of October 2026, OpenAI’s Ads Manager availability page lists Oman as available for self-serve advertising. Eligibility also depends on the advertiser’s registered country and account verification.
Where do ChatGPT ads appear?
Below ChatGPT’s answer, as a card labelled sponsored, with a headline, short description, image and link. They are shown to users on the Free and Go plans.
Do ChatGPT ads use keywords?
No. Advertisers describe the conversations they want to appear in using plain-language context, and OpenAI matches ads to relevant chats.
Do ChatGPT ads change the answer?
OpenAI says ads do not influence ChatGPT’s answers. Being recommended in the answer itself depends on your website, reviews and other information about your business.
Method & sources
Checked October 17, 2026. Where sources disagree, the more conservative figure is used. Cost figures are reported by third parties and mostly reflect US campaigns.
- OpenAI Help Center, “Ads Manager availability”. help.openai.com
- Voctos, “ChatGPT Ads in the Arab World”, and SEO International, “ChatGPT Ads in Dubai and Abu Dhabi” (Oman opening and the September UAE and Saudi additions). voctos.com · seointl.net
- Digital Applied, “ChatGPT Ads for Marketers: Pricing, Targeting & Setup Guide”, and DashThis, “What Is ChatGPT Ads?” (format, specs, bidding and audience). digitalapplied.com · dashthis.com
- OpenAI Help Center, “Ads Manager account setup” and “Launch campaigns”. account setup · launch campaigns · onboarding and policy issues
- Blue Compass, “How to create ad campaigns in OpenAI Ads Manager”, and ProAnalytics, “Setting up conversion tracking for OpenAI Ads”. bluecompass.com · proanalytics.team