In late October 2026 OpenAI added Serbia to the countries where ChatGPT shows ads. Serbian companies can now open an advertising account themselves and appear in the conversations people have with ChatGPT. At Rezident our clients are already asking the same question: is this for us, or just another trend? Here is our answer.
What has actually changed
Until now ChatGPT was only a tool for companies — for writing, analysis, preparing offers. From now on it is also a place where a customer can see your offer. The ad appears below the answer, clearly labelled as sponsored, and leads to your website.
ChatGPT advertising started in the US in early 2026, expanded to Europe and other large markets during the year, and has now reached us. The platform went through its testing period on the largest markets before opening in Serbia.
How the system decides who sees an ad
This is the biggest difference from Google. On Google you buy keywords — “plumber Belgrade”, “laminate price”. ChatGPT has no keywords. The system follows what the conversation is about and judges whether your offer is useful at that moment.
An example. A user tells ChatGPT they are renovating a 60 m² flat, asks how long tiling takes and what to buy first. A company selling tiles and bathroom fittings has something to offer in that conversation — and that is exactly where its ad makes sense. The user never typed “tiles on sale”, but clearly needs them.
So the advertiser doesn't set keywords but describes the situations in which the offer helps. How often the ad shows depends on the quality of those descriptions, the ad copy and the page the ad leads to.
Who sees ads and who doesn't
- Ads are shown to users of the free version and the cheaper Go plan. Paid subscriptions (Plus, Pro, business) are ad-free.
- Ads are not shown to minors.
- They don't appear next to sensitive topics — health, mental health, politics.
- Advertisers don't see conversations and don't receive users' personal data.
For healthcare companies this means the channel is practically unavailable for now. For most others, it is open.
How pricing works
There are two models: paying per click, when you want site visits, and paying per thousand impressions, when you want as many people as possible to see you. You set a daily budget and the most you're willing to pay. Who wins the impression depends not only on price but on how well the ad fits the conversation.
The minimum daily budget for euro accounts is €15. Note that actual spend on some days can exceed the daily budget and balances out over the month. Click prices for the Serbian market are still forming, and we expect them to vary in the first weeks.
What an ad can't do
An ad doesn't buy a place in the answer. If someone asks ChatGPT which company to choose, the answer is composed independently of who pays for ads. The ad sits below, separate and labelled.
That difference matters. For ChatGPT to mention your company in the answers themselves, clear and verifiable information about you has to exist online: well-described services on your site, reviews, mentions elsewhere. That is the long-term work of SEO and AI marketing. Ads are a faster route to visibility, but they don't replace reputation.
Our view
We believe this is the first new ad channel in a long time that deserves a serious test. The reason is simple: people in ChatGPT aren't wandering, they are solving a specific problem. Planning a trip, choosing equipment, comparing offers. A company that appears at that moment with the right solution has an advantage a social-media banner rarely matches.
Still, we advise no client to cut their Google budget now. When someone types “price” or “near me”, they're ready to buy — and that remains the strongest signal in advertising. We treat ChatGPT as an additional channel proven by numbers: three to four weeks, a capped budget, a clear goal and a decision at the end — continue, change or stop.
One precondition is unavoidable: conversion tracking. Without proper tracking on the site there's no way to judge this channel or any next one. Companies that already have it can start a test within days. For those that don't, that's the first step.
Who we recommend try it now
- Companies whose customers look for advice before buying — home and bathroom furnishing, construction, travel, courses, software, business services.
- Online shops with clear products and pages that answer buyers' questions.
- Companies with stable Google and Meta campaigns that can compare results fairly.
The channel makes less sense for companies in areas the platform excludes and for those not yet measuring what their site brings in.
Official rules and guides: OpenAI — ads in ChatGPT.
Rezident sets up and runs ChatGPT advertising: we open the account in your company's name, set up tracking, write the ads and run a test with clear numbers — together with Google Ads and Meta Ads campaigns.
Related services and pages
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- How much does Google Ads cost in Serbia?
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