ChatGPT shifts to CPC

OpenAI has started selling some ChatGPT ads by the click, not just by the view, as sponsored product cards spread into shopping queries. (searchengineland.com) The company began testing ads in the United States on February 9, 2026, for logged-in adults on ChatGPT Free and Go, with placements shown below answers and labeled as sponsored. OpenAI said ads would not change the model’s answers and users could dismiss them. (openai.com) By April 22, trade outlets reported that pilot advertisers could buy those placements on a cost-per-click basis, with bids around $3 to $5 per click in early ads-manager screenshots. Search Engine Land and The Next Web both said the change moved ChatGPT closer to search-style ad buying. (searchengineland.com) (thenextweb.com) Cost per click means an advertiser pays when a user taps an ad, while cost per thousand impressions charges for exposure whether anyone clicks or not. That pricing switch makes ChatGPT inventory easier to compare with Google Search and other performance channels that are bought on measurable actions. (searchengineland.com) (qz.com) The timing follows OpenAI’s push into shopping inside ChatGPT. On March 24, the company said it was expanding product discovery with side-by-side comparisons and merchant integrations through its Agentic Commerce Protocol, a system that lets merchants feed product data into ChatGPT. (openai.com) OpenAI had already laid the groundwork in late 2025 with shopping research tools and “Instant Checkout,” which lets some users complete purchases without leaving the chat. That gave the company a clearer place to insert sponsored product cards when users are already comparing items or preparing to buy. (openai.com 1) (openai.com 2) OpenAI has said publicly that ads are meant to help fund broader access to ChatGPT, especially lower-cost tiers, while keeping ads separate from the answer itself. The Help Center says the test is phased and limited, and the company’s January policy post said the first rollout would stay in the U.S. and focus on relevance, labeling, and user controls. (help.openai.com) (openai.com) Trade coverage has framed the pricing shift as a response to weaker impression pricing in the first weeks of the ad pilot, with The Next Web reporting launch rates fell from about $60 cost per thousand to roughly $25 within ten weeks. OpenAI has not published those pricing figures on its own site. (thenextweb.com) The immediate question is whether users treat ChatGPT shopping prompts like search queries and whether advertisers see enough clicks to keep raising bids. For now, OpenAI is building an ad business inside a product it has also turned into a storefront. (openai.com) (searchengineland.com)