ChatGPT ads are sponsored placements that OpenAI shows inside ChatGPT conversations, clearly labelled and kept separate from the answer. As of October 2026 they run in a growing list of countries, but Sri Lanka is not yet one of them. For Sri Lankan businesses selling to the UK, Europe, the US or India, they are already a way to reach buyers at the moment they ask an AI assistant for options.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026
OpenAI began testing ads in ChatGPT in the United States in early 2026 and opened a self-serve Ads Manager to US businesses in May 2026. Access then expanded to Europe, India and other markets, and trade press reported 89 countries by late October 2026. Ads appear only on the Free and Go plans; Plus, Pro and enterprise plans are ad-free.
Targeting works on context rather than keywords or personal data. Advertisers describe the topics their ad suits, and ChatGPT matches it to relevant conversations. OpenAI has said ads are not shown to users under 18 and are kept away from sensitive topics such as health and politics, and that conversations are not shared with advertisers. Buying is on impression or click bidding, and US advertisers can track results with a pixel and a Conversions API.
We confirm whether your business can open an account and which target countries are available, and tell you plainly if it is not possible yet.
We list the questions your buyers ask ChatGPT, such as sourcing, comparisons and trip planning, and turn them into context hints.
Pages that answer the question the ad appeared beside, with a clear next step and tracking.
A capped first test in one or two markets, measured against the same goal as your other channels.
Keep and grow what produces enquiries, stop what does not, and report the result either way.
Topic descriptions written from real buyer questions in each market, refined as OpenAI's reporting shows which contexts convert.
Start where your buyers are and OpenAI has opened ads, for example the UK and EU for apparel and tea exporters, or India for B2B services.
OpenAI's pixel and Conversions API where available to your account, plus UTM tagging so results show in your analytics.
Paid placements next to the answer, and organic work so your company is named inside the answer itself. The two support each other.
Clear, factual ad copy that fits OpenAI's policies, with no claims you cannot back up.
If your market is not open, or the test does not pay back, we say so and move the budget to channels that work.
Two illustrative examples of how the channels, work and measures are defined. They are examples, not client case studies. Your scope is set after an audit of your own accounts.
The situation: An exporter of specialty tea wants importers and retailers in the UK to find it when they ask ChatGPT for Ceylon tea suppliers.
The situation: A tour operator wants to appear when European travellers ask ChatGPT to plan a Sri Lanka itinerary.
SEO and GEO in Sri Lanka: technical SEO, structured data and answer-first content so Google, AI Overviews, ChatGPT and Perplexity find and cite your business.
Facebook and Instagram ads in Sri Lanka with Meta Pixel and Conversions API tracking, lead forms synced to your CRM, creative testing and plain monthly reports.
Social media marketing in Sri Lanka: strategy, posts and reels in English, Sinhala and Tamil, community management and monthly reports on every major platform.
Social media, paid ads, automation and AI search, in one place.
Not as of October 2026. Sri Lanka is not on OpenAI's published list of ad markets. Sri Lankan businesses can still benefit by targeting buyers in countries where ChatGPT ads are live, subject to OpenAI's account eligibility rules, which we check before any setup.
They are sponsored placements shown in the ChatGPT interface, labelled as sponsored and kept separate from the answer itself. OpenAI says ads do not change what ChatGPT answers.
By context. Advertisers describe the topics their ad suits, and ChatGPT shows it beside relevant conversations. OpenAI says conversations are not shared with advertisers and ads are not shown to users under 18 or beside sensitive topics such as health and politics.
Adult users on the Free and Go plans in the countries where ads are live. Plus, Pro and enterprise users do not see ads.
They do different jobs. GEO works to get your company named inside AI answers organically, and works everywhere, including Sri Lanka. Ads buy a labelled placement beside the answer in opened markets. For exporters we usually recommend both.
You set a budget and bid on impressions or clicks, and costs vary by market and topic. Because benchmarks are still thin, we start with a capped test budget agreed with you, paid to OpenAI from your own account.
Tell us about your business and where you want more enquiries. We will review your current pages, ads and search presence and tell you plainly what we would change first.